Hu Shih

Hu Shih became known for his advocacy of writing in vernacular Chinese and for his work on Chinese philosophy and literature. A Boxer Indemnity scholar at Cornell and Columbia, he returned to teach at Peking University in 1917. His books included An Outline of the History of Chinese Philosophy and a history of vernacular literature; he also introduced Chinese readers to John Dewey’s ideas. ¹

As ambassador in Washington from 1938 to 1942, Hu argued for continued resistance to Japan. In a May 1941 letter to Secretary of State Cordell Hull, he warned that concessions would not detach Japan from the Axis and urged American assistance to China alongside a firm naval position in the Pacific. ²

The embassy also handled the administrative work behind American assistance. In May 1941, Hu formally notified Washington that China Defense Supplies, Inc., was authorized to receive Lend-Lease aid. Later that year he transmitted and authenticated documents establishing China’s currency stabilization board and its authority over the dollar–yuan fund. ^{3, 4}

After the war, Hu became president of Peking University. In 1958 he assumed the presidency of Academia Sinica in Taiwan, continuing his work as a scholar and advocate of historical and textual research. ¹