Fu Ssu-nien: A Life In Chinese History And Politics (cambridge Studies In Chinese History, Literature And Institutions)

Fu Ssu-nien, a scholar, activist, and social critic, was one of the most influential intellectual figures in twentieth-century China. This biography offers the first in-depth examination of his role in intellectual and educational development in modern China. Wang Fan-sen follows Fu's early career as a student activist, his efforts to establish a "modern" historical discipline in China, and his legacy as a founder of modern academe in China. This book, incorporating unpublished material from Fu's personal archives, fills a major gap in the cultural and intellectual history of modern China. "Fu Ssu-nien, Chinese scholar, educator, and political and social critic, was one of the most colorful and influential intellectual figures in twentieth-century China. Wang Fan-sen's biography of Fu's extraordinary life and contributions offers the first in-depth examination and serious recognition of his role in the intellectual and educational development in modern China. Fu's life, spanning five decades of tumultuous political change in China, in many ways embodies the dilemma faced by modern Chinese intellectuals; dissatisfied with the model of the traditional literati, they lacked a professional, academic model to take its place. Fu's early years as a student leader of the May Fourth Movement and subsequent life as an activist were born of intellectual dissatisfaction; as an educator and as founder of the Institute of Philology and History at Peking University and the Academia Sinica, he worked to fill the void by professionalizing Chinese research and education. Wang traces Fu's leading role in cultivating modern Chinese academe and, in particular, his efforts to establish a 'modern' historical discipline with an emphasis on objective analysis of primary sources. He also tells the less well known story of Fu's struggles with political foes and his involvement in wartime politics. Fu's efforts to improve history as a professional discipline in China made him the target of attacks by left-wing intellectuals on the one hand and of conservative Chinese historians on the other. A liberal intellectual in wartime China, he was caught between his opposition to communism and his opposition to corrupt elements within the ranks of the Kuomintang. His attempts to separate historical studies from politics, along with his hostility to the Communist Party, brought particularly harsh criticism after he left the mainland for Taiwan in 1948. All of the above have served to obfuscate Fu's role. Wang's analysis offers a new, scholarly account of Fu's intellectual life and that of the academic community he helped to shape in the 1930s and 1940s. Incorporating an impressive array of archival material, including original papers and correspondence from Fu's private collection, this book fills a major gap in the cultural and intellectual history of modern China."--Publisher's description Fu Ssu-nien, scholar, and political and social critic, was one of the most colourful, influential intellectual figures in twentieth-century China. Wang Fan-sen's biography of Fu's life and contributions offers an in-depth examination of his role in intellectual development in modern China. Fu's life in many ways embodied the dilemma faced by modern Chinese intellectuals: dissatisfied with the model of the traditional literati, they lacked a professional, academic model to take its place. Fu's early years as a student leader of the May Fourth movement and subsequent life as an activist were born of intellectual dissatisfaction: as an educator and founder of the Institute of Philology and History at Peking University and the Academia Sinica, he worked to fill the void by professionalizing Chinese research and education. This book, incorporating original, previously unpublished material from Fu's personal archives, fills a major gap in the cultural and intellectual history of modern China Fu Ssu-nien, the Chinese scholar, educator, and political and social critic, was one of the most colorful and influential intellectual figures in twentieth-century China. Wang Fan-sen's biography of Fu's extraordinary life and contributions offers an in-depth look at his role in intellectual and educational development in modern China. Fu Ssu-nien was born on March 26, 1896, in Liao-ch'eng, Shantung, where his ancestors had lived since the fifteenth century.

Wang's biography of Fu Ssu-nien examines Fu's important role in modern China's intellectual development.