"Age of Awakening" was a hit with the whole people. I remember that there is such a sentence in it, "The reason why China is so densely packed is because there are too few, and there are too many Hu Shi." ”
This is what Chen Duxiu said to Hu Shi, in fact, Chen Duxiu meant to blame Hu Shi for studying academia too much, and ignoring the most important thing about the revolution and the future of the country at that time.
Is Hu Shi really that inferior? In fact, no, he is a famous thinker, literary scholar and philosopher in modern times on the mainland, and one of the main standard-bearers of the new cultural movement that influenced Chinese society in the last century, creating the history of Chinese philosophy, researching and founding new youth, and advocating vernacular literature. All this is Hu Shi's contribution to the new China.
It's just that in the late stage of the new culture, because he learned from Professor Dewey in the United States, he believed in liberalism and experimentalism, and did not believe in Marxism like Chen Duxiu and others, thus gradually derailing from Chen Duxiu and others, but his own contribution to Chinese society is still indelible and praised.
However, it is such a figure who has a strong mark in Chinese history, and his descendants are not very happy.
Descendants of Hu Shi
Hu Shi was born in Shanghai in 1891, and he soon went to Cornell University in the United States in 1910 with excellent academic performance, where he studied under the philosopher Professor Dewey, who had a great influence on Hu Shi, and he taught Hu Shi sincerely, from knowledge to thought, all deeply influenced Hu Shi, and even Hu Shi's belief was Dewey's liberalism.
Hu Shi came to Peking University in 1917 as a professor, and joined the New Youth fan editor as a standard-bearer for the New Culture Movement.
In 1917, Hu Shi, who returned to China, married his wife Jiang Dongxiu because of his parents' orders, as a believer in liberalism and a leader of the New Culture Movement, Hu Shi's wife was not a lady, not a woman of the new era, but an old era woman with her feet bound.
Far from having any misfortunes, their marriages were even praiseworthy, and Eileen Cheung once said of them: "They are rare examples of happiness in old-style marriages." "They have respected each other all their lives, and China's so-called "respect for each other" is probably like this, but their descendants are not as happy and happy as they are.
Hu Shi and Jiang Dongxiu have two sons and a daughter, and the eldest son is named Hu Zuwang, which is Hu Shi's mourning for his mother, which has the meaning of glorifying ancestors and thinking of ancestors and ancestors; The second daughter, Hu Sufei, is Hu Shi's memorial to his old girlfriend Chen Zheheng, "My daughter Sufei, that is, use the name of Sha Fei", Sha Fei, is Hu Shi's name for Chen Zheheng; The third son is named Si Du, this Du is the Du of his mentor Dewey, and Hu Shi hopes that the younger son can inherit Professor Dewey's liberalism and carry it forward.
Originally, the family should be happy, but all three children have misfortune.
The early death of her daughter Hu Sufei
The first is the second daughter Hu Sufei, in the old times, science and technology were not developed enough, and there were many unknown diseases that took people's lives, and this kind of thing, Hu Sufei also suffered when he was five years old.
Hu Shi loved his daughter very much and took great care of her, and in 1920, when his daughter was over the moon, Hu Shi's diary wrote: "Take a nap in the afternoon, today is the period of the full moon of her daughter Hu Sufei's lunar calendar, and all the relatives of Jiang Lu have sent gifts, so they were invited to make a very polite soup cake party in the afternoon." It can be seen that Hu Shi's love for his daughter was only in 1925, when his daughter was five years old, she died prematurely due to illness.
During this period, Hu Shi once cheated on Cao Chengying, which was also the most tense time for their husband and wife, and the death of his daughter Hu Sufei made Hu Shi realize his mistake, he deeply blamed himself, and his will was depressed and even pinned on poetry and wine, in order to forget the pain of losing his daughter.
In 1927, during Hu Shi's trip to New York, the past was presented in Hu Shi's dream in another way, he dreamed of Hu Sufei, and when he woke up, he no longer had sleep, got up and made a poem "Sufei", "Open your eyes, tears fall, half thinking of you, half blaming me... Su Fei, don't let me forget, forever leave it as a mark of human suffering! ”
The death of his daughter was a pain in Hu Shi's life, and until his later years, he complained about his "sins" from time to time, blaming himself for not caring enough for his daughter, so that her daughter died early.
The youngest son, Hu Sidu, scolded his father before hanging
In 1921, Hu Shi's third child, Hu Sidu, was born. Hu Shi had high hopes for his younger son, hoping that his younger son could inherit the philosophical ideas of his mentor Dewey and pass them on, and he was also Hu Shi's inner desire for liberalism.
Hu Shi loves his young son very much, which is also in line with the general phenomenon of Chinese families, loving the youngest child, but when Hu Sidu was young, Hu Shi ran for his career, and only his eldest son who did not have to bother to take care of himself was by his side, and Hu Sidu was taken care of by Jiang Dongxiu at home. But almost every letter contains words about Hu Sidu, and there is also content urging his son to write to himself, which shows Hu Shi's love for him.
Hu Sidu was weak and sick when he was a child, but he was very good at thinking, especially about liberalism and democracy, so when he was very young, he treated his domestic servants very kindly.
This also made Hu Shi very gratified, and he taught his son, because he could not do it himself for many years, which also led to Hu Sidu's academic study getting worse and worse, so that he changed two schools in eight years in the United States and could not graduate successfully.
In 1948, with the impact of the Liberation War, Hu Shi decided to move his family and leave Beiping, but Hu Sidu, who worked in the library of Peking University, refused to move with the family, and Hu Shi, who had always respected his son's opinion, did not force his son when he saw this, but just told his son to be careful, but this was their last conversation.
In 1950, Hu Shi read an article written by his son Hu Sidu in the newspaper called "Criticism of My Father----- Hu Shi." When Hu Shi saw it, he was very sad, but he thought that this was his son's last resort, so he was relieved.
Unexpectedly, in 1957, the news came that Hu Sidu suffered from mental pressure and finally hanged himself. But he did not want to believe that his son was dead, and even left Husdu's share in the distribution of testamentary property.
Hu Shi's descendants only have one eldest son, Hu Zuwang, perhaps blessed by his ancestors, although Hu Zuwang is not very smart, but he is also honest, and even graduated from Cornell University, Hu Shi's alma mater, became an engineer, and lived a rich life.
It's just that his only son Hu Fu, but he learned from his uncle Hu Sidu and never married, and now at the age of 66, he is still alone, and there are even rumors that he is a sleeve breaker.
Brief summary:
Hu Shi's descendants are difficult to have good people, which can't help but make people sigh, the second daughter died of illness when she was only five years old, which became Hu Shi's lifelong pain; And the younger son also chose to hang himself after separation, unable to accept the mental pressure and torture, the only eldest son who is still good, the descendants will not marry for life, suspected of being a person with broken sleeves.
It is said that good is rewarded, and it is a pity that Hu Shi made a significant contribution to the New Culture Movement, but eventually broke off his bloodline.