Hu Shi's Oral Autobiography
by Tang Degang
About This Novel
"Hu Shi's Oral Autobiography" is between an autobiography and a biography. It is the best introductory book to understand Hu Shi's life and studies. In the 1950s, Hu accepted the invitation of Columbia University's "Chinese Oral History Department" and was interviewed by Tang Degang. He orally recounted his life in English and completed sixteen formal recordings in 1958. This book was translated by Tang Degang based on the recording, cross-referenced and comprehensively, and was hand-edited by Hu Shi in 1959. This is also a proud "oral history project" that Tang Degang completed in person with Hu Shi at Columbia University and with a tape recorder. Here, Hu Shi reviews the course of his academic research throughout his life, from devoting himself to the literary revolution, to examining the history of Chinese philosophy, to rediscovering the history of Zen Buddhism, to critically studying vernacular novels, and recalling the main ideas in literature, history, philosophy, etc. This is a small book that covers all aspects of Hu Shi's knowledge, thoughts, life, family background, etc. Tang Degang's annotations and comments after translating Hu Shi's English oral narration into Chinese are even more must-read good articles. On the one hand, some memory errors and unspeakable secrets in Hu Shi's oral narration are restored through Tang's annotations; on the other hand, Tang's annotations expand and deepen the content and viewpoints of the oral narration. In response to the questions raised in the text, he also elaborates on his own comments on Hu Shi himself and related figures and events, allowing readers to understand Hu Shi and his era more clearly.
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