Hu Shih Memorial Hall ─ Opening Ceremony for Special Exhibition on Hu Shih & Book Launch for The Complete Works of Hu Shih
2018 marks the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Academia Sinica. Next year, the year 2019, also coincides with the centennial of the May Fourth Movement. In commemoration of these meaningful events, Hu Shih Memorial Hall, in conjunction with the festivities organized by the Academia Sinica and the Institute of Modern History, will hold a special opening ceremony for an upcoming exhibition on Hu Shih. Entitled The Greatest Event in Life: Hu Shih’s and His Friends’ Married Lives（終身大事：胡適及其友人的婚姻人生）, this exhibition will open on Monday, December 17, 2018, the 127th anniversary of former Academia Sinica President Hu Shih’s birth. At the same time, a book launch will be held for two forthcoming publications, The Complete Works of Hu Shih（胡適全集）: The Collected Letters of Hu Shih（胡適書信集）and The Collected Political Writings of Hu Shih（胡適時論集）.
I. An Overview of the Special Exhibition on Hu Shih: The Greatest Event in Life: Hu Shih’s and His Friends’ Married Lives
At the beginning of the 20th century, during the May Fourth Movement and the New Culture Movement, new ideas and tides of thought such as freedom, democracy, science, individualism, and women’s liberation inundated Chinese society. These ushered in an intellectual revolution that awakened scholars to pursue personal growth and strive for autonomy and independence. Intellectuals castigated the traditional familial structure and marriage system as the cruxes of evil that suppressed personal development and deprived individuals of happiness. Committed to bringing about a revolution on the familial level in hope of recreating and reshaping Chinese society and culture, these intellectuals opened new horizons for future generations.
Living during the New Culture Movement and straddling the old and the new, the intellectuals involved in the May Fourth Movement strove to throw off the yoke of tradition when it came to the very personal decision of marriage; however, they found it immensely difficult to make a clean break. Hu Shih and his friends, including Fu Ssu-nien 傅斯年, Yuen Ren Chao 趙元任 (also known as Y. R. Chao), Ch’en Heng-che 陳衡哲 (also known by the pen name Sophia H. C. Chen), Hsu Tse-mou 徐志摩, and Lu Xun 魯迅 were all leading figures of the New Culture Movement, with unique and dynamic lives. How these leading intellectuals dealt with the question of marriage is worth delving into, as each faced different obstacles. Examining the perspectives of these intellectuals, how they made their final decisions, and their married lives allow us a greater understanding of the overarching New Culture Movement.
II. An Overview of the The Complete Works of Hu Shih: The Collected Letters of Hu Shih and The Collected Political Writings of Hu Shih
Hu Shi shu xin ji and Hu Shi shi lun ji are two forthcoming collections of publications in the Hu Shi quan ji series, and edited by Dr. Kuang-che Pan（潘光哲）, Research Fellow at the Institute of Modern History and Director of the Memorial Hall. Materials for these edited volumes are mainly derived from archives in the Hu Shih Memorial Hall, the Institute of Modern History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as well as compiled from newspapers, magazines, other publications, and the Internet. These new volumes can be considered the most comprehensive collections of letters and commentaries by Hu Shih. A total of 13 volumes will be unveiled at this book launch event— a set of five volumes for the letters collection and a set of eight volumes for the commentary collection. Sample books will be available at the event for interested attendees to browse through.
III. Event Program for December 17, 2018
1.Special Exhibition—The Greatest Event in Life: Hu Shih’s and His Friends’ Married Lives.
2.Book Launch—The Complete Works of Hu Shih: The Collected Letters of Hu Shih and The Collected Political Writings of Hu Shih.
3.Special Performances
a.Drama Performance: “The Greatest Event in Life” One-act play by Hu Shih (1919).
b.Academia Sinica Chorus—May Fourth New Voice.
Contact：Mr. Chao-shun Lee, Hu Shih Memorial Hall, Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica. 886-2-2782-1147
