This collection is located on-site. This collection has no restrictions.
The Hu Shih diaries contain 6 microfilm reels of selected pages from Hu Shih's diaries, which include correspondence, notes, writings, dating from 1921 to 1935, as well as the papers of Hu Shih's father, Hu Chuan, related his political career as an official of the Qing Imperial Court. Materials in the Hu Chuan papers include his original writings, survey reports during his time as an official in Taiwan from 1892 to 1895 prior to the First Sino-Japanese war, a memorial tribute among other writings. The Hu Shih diaries contains his daily written entries of his life, and correspondence, letters, news clippings he collected. His diaries also include reading notes, travel notes, and lecture notes, as well as his writings relating to China Foundation, redology, cultural movements, political thoughts, literary reviews, etc.
Arranged in original order.
You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.
This collection is located on-site. This collection has no restrictions.
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML 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.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Hu Shih diaries; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Chinese oral history project collection, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University. Finding Aid. This collection contains administrative information related to the project, including the interviewee files relating to Hu Shih's interviews.
Hu Shih papers at Cornell University, #41-5-2578. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library. Web page.
Reminiscences of Hu Shih, 胡適口述回憶錄
Hu Shih archive at the Hu Shih Memorial Hall, Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica. Home page.
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
Gift of Tsu-Wang Hu, 1980
Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Separated from the Chinese oral history project collection due to the papers' historical and research value and to allow better discovery and access. Finding aid created by Yingwen Huang, September 2018. Container list derived from an index created by Hu Shih's oral history interviewer, Te-Kong Tong.
2018-09-30 File created.
2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.
Hu Chuan (Chinese: 胡傳; original name: Hu Shan, 胡珊; courtesy name: Tiehua, 鐵花; alias: Dunfu, 鈍夫) was born in Anhui province, 1841. He was a scholar and an official of the Qing Imperial Court. He came from a tea merchant family in Huizhou. During his youth, he studied excessively while helping out with his family's business. In 1881, he traveled alone to the Northeastern region of China and was later involved in politics. He assumed civil positions in Guangdong, Hainan, Zhengzhou, and Jiangsu. In 1890, He returned to his hometown and married Feng Shundi (馮順弟), who was 17 years old at the time. The following year, the Chinese philosopher and scholar, Hu Shih, was born. In 1892, Hu was appointed the chief commissioner to Taiwan where he oversaw all cultural and military affairs. He stayed in Taiwan for three years until the First Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1894 during which Taiwan was ceded to Japan. He later died in Xiamen, at the age of 55.
Hu Shih (pinyin: Hu, Shi; Wade Giles: Hu, Shih; Traditional Chinese: 胡適; Simplified Chinese: 胡适; original name: Hongxing, 洪騂; courtesy name: Shizhi, 適之) was born in Shanghai, 1891. In 1910, he began studying abroad at Cornell University, and received his BA in philosophy and literature in 1914. He later attended Columbia University and studied philosophy under Professor John Dewey. Hu Shih soon became Dewey's translator and helped with his 1919-1921 lecture in China. He later devote his life to the advocacy for pragmatic changes. After returning to China, Hu became the one of the leaders during the May Fourth Movement and the New Culture Movement. He was the main advocate for the use of written vernacular Chinese in contrast to the obsolete classical Chinese. He also made contribution to redology (the study of a classical novel, the Dream of the Red Chamber). From 1938 to 1942, he was an ambassador to the U.S. He served as the chancellor of Peking University between 1946 and 1948. In 1957, he served as the president of the Academia Sinica. He died in Taipei, 1962 at the age of 70.
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