Hu Shih Diaries, 1892-1935

Files include Hu Chuan's writings during his appointment as the Chief Commissioner to Taiwan where he oversaw all cultural and military affairs. Materials include his writings related to his family history as field notes related to Taiwan during the late Qing dynasty.

A large amount of correspondence and clippings concerning the reorganization of the China Foundation. Among others, there are correspondence from Jiang Menglin and Cai Yuanpei.

The majority of the entries are concerned with his scholarly writings such as his essays on the Red Chamber and Chinese literature the Past 50 Years as well as notes on his extensive reading. He also indicate the content of his lectures at the University. The European Diary entries are of particular interest because they contain the notes as well as reproduction of Dunhuang Buddhist manuscripts.

He was reading extensively in western literature in 1923 and carried on remarkably large correspondence. For 1926, he has considerable notes on his trip to Europe - through Russia and Poland; there are interesting details from his London visit. 1928 relates his return to China. For 1921, the entries are concerned with his scholarly work, readings in Wang Yangming; works on Tai Tung-yuan; Hong Lou Meng, and his association with John Dewey. For September 1921 he notes the content of his lectures at the Peking University.

The months for 1928 and early 1929 continue to have materials on the problem of the China foundation. For 1929 and 1930, there are a very large number of clippings from a variety of newspaper (unfortunately, many of these are neither labeled nor dated) concerning the controversial essays which Hu wrote criticizing the Kuomintang government and Sun Yat-sen's thought. A noteworthy contrast can be seen in the generally unfavorable Chinese press and the favorable English language press. For 1930, there are a number of clippings criticizing his statements on Chinese culture.

For October 1930, there is a detailed and fascinating account of his journey to Peking, people he saw, conversations, and lecture. For 1931, he gives an excellent picture of his increasing involvement in the Peking University affairs. The Japanese occupation of Manchuria received considerable attention. His contacts with foreign scholars, journalist, and other westerners who resided in or traveled through Peking between 1931 and 1934 are impressive. Hu seems to have known practically everybody of note.

This reel is extremely disorganized and entire sections are photographed twice. For 1935, there is much material concerning the North China crisis. His detailed account of the December 9th movement and student disturbances as well as his own activities are of particular interest, as are the clippings from various newspapers concerning the December events. Entries for 1926 and 1927 tell of his work in the Bibliotheque Nationale and British museum. However, Hu was definitely not a hermit; he led an extremely active social life; saw all the important tourist attractions; went to plays and concerts, and went on a lecture tour in Britain. His reading materials in Europe reflect his catholic interest. There is a Dewey letter to Hu dated September 30, 1926. Entries concerning his visit to Columbia in 1927 and the lectures which he gave are particularly interesting. Hu has notes for some of the lectures. At the end of the reel are miscellaneous materials on current events and his reading. Most seem to be undated except for two which are dated April 22, 1940 and June 21, 1940 respectively.