Hu Shih

Hu Shih (1891–1962) was a Chinese philosopher, essayist, and diplomat who promoted vernacular writing and helped shape modern Chinese liberal thought.

Chen Duxiu: A Chinese revolutionary and intellectual who co-founded the journal New Youth and helped launch the New Culture Movement. He published Hu Shih’s literary-reform proposals and became an early ally in New Culture debates.
New Culture Movement: An intellectual movement in China, especially active from the mid-1910s, that challenged inherited culture and promoted new ideas. Hu’s literary proposals became part of this broader challenge to classical authority.
A Preliminary Discussion of Literary Reform: Hu Shih’s 1917 essay proposing principles for reforming Chinese literary writing. It set out the program that made his name as a literary reformer.
Republic of China: A state founded in 1912 that governed mainland China until 1949 and continues on Taiwan. Hu’s academic and diplomatic career spanned the Republic’s changing political institutions.
Chinese communism: A political tradition in China shaped by Marxism-Leninism and the Chinese Communist Party. Hu opposed communist political methods and defended liberal alternatives during their rise.
John Dewey: An American philosopher and educator whose pragmatism emphasized inquiry, experience, and democratic education. Hu studied with Dewey at Columbia and helped introduce his ideas to Chinese audiences.
May Fourth Movement: A Chinese political and cultural movement that began with student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Hu’s reformist writing shaped the intellectual climate surrounding the protests and their cultural aftermath.
Eight Do's and Don'ts: Hu Shih’s 1917 set of recommendations for writers seeking to reform Chinese literature. Its concrete rules translated his call for literary reform into a writer’s checklist.
Chinese ambassador to the United States: The head of the Republic of China’s diplomatic mission to the United States. Hu held this post from 1938 to 1942, representing China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Three Principles of the People: A political doctrine formulated by Sun Yat-sen around nationalism, democracy, and people’s livelihood. Its revolutionary-nationalist program differed from Hu’s emphasis on gradual reform and critical inquiry.

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