Ta-Chun Hsu papers, circa 1904-2016, bulk 1938-2008

Summary Information

Abstract

The Ta-Chun Hsu papers (徐大春檔案) document his personal life and provide a glimpse of his career in China and in the United States. The bulk of the papers consist of correspondence related to his family and his personal life as a Chinese-American and an immigrant living in New York. The correspondence also highlights his relation to a prominent Chinese educator and philosopher, Hu Shih (胡適) and his family. There are also materials related to his father, Hsu Singloh (徐新六), who was a major finance and banking leader during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Also included are immigration and travel documents of T.C. Hsu. Other materials also include news clippings, articles, financial records, printed materials, portraits and photographs, maps and postcards.

徐大春檔案記錄了徐大春在中美兩國的職業生涯與生活以及他的家人和朋友之間的聯繫。信件大部分是他與胡適及其家人朋友的通信紀錄。其中還有與他父親徐新六（Hsu Singloh）有關資料。檔內的信件和照片涉及有關他與家人親戚朋友的關係以及他作為美籍華人居住在紐約的個人生活。檔內含徐大春的移民和旅行證件。其他文件包括新聞剪報和文章，財務記錄，書冊，肖像和照片，地圖和明信片等。

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

Arranged by subject and material type. The collection is arranged in 3 series.

• Series I: Hu Shih Files, 胡適文件, 1938-2016
• Series II: T.C. Hsu Files, 徐大春文件, circa 1904-2012
• Series III: Printed materials, 印刷品, 1930-2006

Description

Scope and Contents

The Ta-Chun Hsu papers (徐大春檔案) comprise of correspondence, diaries, news clippings, articles, financial records, printed materials, travel and immigration documents, portraits and photographs, maps and postcards, etc., dating from circa 1904 to 2016, bulk dating from 1938 to 2008. The correspondence contains mostly letters related to his family and other personal matters as well as some business letters. Correspondents include Hu Shih (胡適), Chen Kwang Pu (陳光甫), Li Ming (李銘), C.V. Starr, as well as many of his family members, friends, colleagues, and researchers. The photographs in the collection depict Hsu's life and his family, as well as photographs of Hu Shih. Also include are the Hsu Singloh (徐新六) diaries dating from January 1936 to August 1938 which document his daily activities and notes about important Chinese businessmen and statesmen when he was a major finance and banking leader and a strong backer of C.V. Starr's businesses in Shanghai. Other documents include maps and postcards that T.C. Hsu collected during his travel, as well as caricature, calligraphy, articles and printed materials related to his affiliates.

徐大春檔案（Ta-Chun Hsu papers）內含信件，日記，新聞剪報，文章，財務記錄，印刷品，旅行和移民文件，肖像，照片，地圖，明信片等， 廣泛日期為1904年至2016年, 主要文件日期為1938年至2008年。該信件主要含有家信和其他個人事務和商務有關的信件。通信人物有胡適，陳光甫，李銘，史带，以及他家人朋友同事和研究人員等。該檔案中的照片描繪了徐大春的生活和他的家人，以及胡適的照片。其中還有徐新六1936年1月至1938年8月的日記，日記內記載了他當時在金融行業內擔任主要領導人以及他在上海的業務。其他文件含新聞剪報和文章，書法，財務記錄，書冊，肖像和照片，地圖和明信片等。

• Series I: Hu Shih Files, 胡適文件, 1938-2016

  Series comprises primarily correspondence, photographs, and other research documents related to Hu Shih (胡適) as well as his family and friends, dating from 1938 to 2016. The correspondence are primarily between Hu Shih, Hu Shih's family and friends, and T.C. Hsu, dating from 1949 to 1961. Most of the photographs in the series depict Hu Shih's social life and family life and events in New York and Taiwan, dating from circa 1921 to 1960s. Also include in the photographs are portraits of Hu Shih and his wife, Chiang Tung-hsiu (江冬秀). The other documents in the series include researchers' writings on Hu Shih, the opening of the Hu Shih Memorial Hall and Hu Shih Park. Additional files are materials on Hu Shih's role in T.C. Hsu's education abroad, correspondence between the Hu family and T.C. Hsu, etc.

• Series II: T.C. Hsu Files, 徐大春文件, circa 1904-2012

  Series comprises primarily correspondence, photographs, immigration and visa documents, diaries, articles, writings, bonds, caricatures, and so on related to T.C. Hsu and his family, dating from circa 1904 to 2012. The correspondence include family letters, photographs and documents related to his siblings, business letters, and letters between T.C. Hsu and his colleagues and friends. The immigration and visas files document his migration from Hong Kong to the United States during the 1950s, his passports, his visas applications to travel to China in the 1970s, and the permanent residence applications for his siblings. The two volumes of Singloh Hsu (徐新六) diaries document his career as a banker between 1936 and 1938. The five volumes of T.C. Hsu diaries dated between 1943 and 1964. The photographs are primarily portraits of T.C. Hsu and his family, dating from 1930s to 1940s; the photographs also depict T.C. Hsu's activities and travels, dating from circa 1960s to 2006. Other documents in the series include address book, bookmark, articles, calligraphy writing, caricature, fortune telling, financial bonds, etc. collected by T.C. Hsu. The materials document T.C. Hsu's life and his experience as an employee working for an international company and his migration experience from China to the United States during the 1950s.

• Series III: Printed materials, 印刷品, 1930-2006

  Series comprises post cards, maps, ephemera, books, articles, and magazines, collected by T.C. Hsu dating from 1930 to 2006. The post cards depict scenery and buildings of Beijing and Shanghai in 1973. The post card sets, maps, and ephemera were collected by T.C. Hsu during his travel to China and Europe. Many of the books in the series have inscription to T.C. Hsu by the authors. The printed publications are mostly on people that are affiliated with T.C. Hsu and topics related to China the United States.

Using the Collection

C. V. Starr East Asian Library

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is located off-site.

Folder-level restrictions are marked in the container list if apply.

Conditions Governing Use

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The C.V. Starr East Asian Library maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Ta-Chun Hsu papers; Box and Folder; C.V. Starr East Asian Library, Columbia University.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact starr@library.columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the Starr Foundation, September 2017.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, C. V. Starr East Asian Library

Processing Information

Processed by Yingwen Huang, June-July 2019.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

Ta-Chun Hsu (Wade-Giles: Hsu, Ta-Chun; Pinyin: Xu, Dachun; Chinese: 徐大春; also known as T.C. Hsu) was born in Beijing, 1918. He was the son of Yang Yu-Hsuen (楊毓璇) and Hsu Singloh (徐新六), and the brother of Irene Hsu (Hsu Ta-Ching, 徐大慶) and Vivian Hsu Jee (徐嘉汝). He attended the University of Shanghai from 1936 to 1938. In 1938, C.V. Starr brought Hsu to America to attend college. In 1942, T.C. Hsu received his Bachelor's degree in economics from Haverford College and his Masters Degree at Columbia University School of Journalism in 1944. He later studied insurance at the Golden Gate College in San Francisco, California. He began his journalism career at the New York office of the Chinese Information Service in 1944. He later returned to Shanghai two years later and worked at the Shanghai Evening Post and Mercury. In 1947, he joined the staff of the Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank. In 1949, he began working for the Hong Kong office of the American International companies and then in the San Francisco office working for the Marine Claims Department of American International Marine Agency, Inc. and later with the Underwriting Department of the American International Underwriters, Inc. from 1951 to 1964. In 1964, Hsu moved to New York and worked directly with Mr. Starr on various projects at the Starr Foundation. After Mr. Starr passed away in 1968, he began serving as the President of the Starr Foundation until March 1999. He remained as an active Director of the Foundation after retirement. He was a strong advocate for the C.V. Starr East Asian Library at both Columbia University and the University of California Berkeley. On December 27, 2015, T.C. Hsu passed away in New York at the age of 97.

徐大春（韋氏拼音：Ta-Chun Hsu, 又名T.C. Hsu）生於1918年北京。父徐新六，母楊毓璇，姊妹徐大慶(Irene Hsu/ Ta-Ching Hsu)，徐嘉汝（Vivian Hsu Jee）。 1936年至1938年期間就讀上海大學。1938年赴美留學。1942年從哈弗福德學院 (Haverford College)獲得經濟學學士學位，之後入讀哥倫比亞大學新聞學院(Columbia University School of Journalism)，並於1944年獲得碩士學位，開始在中國信息服務(Chinese Information Service)紐約辦公室就職。兩年後返回上海，在大美晚報(Shanghai Evening Post and Mercury)就職。 1947年加入上海商業儲蓄銀行 (Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank)。1949年在美國保險集團(AIG)香港辦事處就職，隨後1951至1964年移駐舊金山辦事處。他1964年移居紐約，與史帶先生一起從事各種基金會項目。1968年於史帶先生去世後，徐大春擔任史帶基金會總裁直至1999年退休。他退休後仍在史帶基金會並且提供資助給哥倫比亞大學和加州大學伯克利分校的東亞圖書館。徐大春享年97歲於2015年12月27日紐約逝世。