Special interview with Xi Yunshu: it is a serious defect to study Hu Shi and not understand Western Philosophy

Interviewee: Xi Yunshu, born in October 1973, associate professor of School of Humanities of Beijing Language and Culture University, graduated from Chinese Department of Normal College of Yangzhou University in 1998, and graduated from Beijing Language and Culture University in 2013 with a doctor's degree in literature. He used to be a teacher of School of Arts of Yangzhou University, editor of Guangxi Normal University Press and director of social science book publishing center of Jiangsu Education Press. He is now mainly engaged in the study of Hu Shi and the history of Chinese thought. His doctoral dissertation "Research on Hu Shi's thought of" China's Renaissance "won the first prize of the first cross-strait" Hu Shi scholarship "awarded by Hu Shi Memorial Hall of Academia Sinica in Taipei. Since 2019, he has also served as the editorial board member and special deputy editor of Guandong academic journal, and has written Hu Shi kaolun, etc.

Interviewer: Chen Xiao, scholar, special editor of scholar, Ph.D. candidate of Philosophy Department of Capital Normal University.

Interview notes

On the eve of Christmas in 2020, brother Zhenyu contacted me and informed me that the commercial press had recently published a new book, Hu Shi kaolun, and scholar scholar scholar scholar scholar scholar scholar scholar scholar scholar scholar intended to interview Xi Yunshu, the author of the book, and asked if I was interested in participating in it? I think it's related to Hu Shi, and it mainly focuses on Hu Shi's English world. It's just what I want, and I agree.

What makes me happy is that Mr. Xi Yunshu is the author of the article "Cornell University Hu Shi's transcript and course paper manuscript". This article was read on the "Oriental historical review" public account at the end of 2019, which is a rare good article in my opinion. Hu Shi's report card and thesis in Cornell point out two points to me: first, Hu Shi exerted a lot on British empiricism philosophy such as Locke and John Mill when he was in Cornell; Second, when Hu Shi was studying in Cornell, he took Professor Tilly's courses many times, which reminds me of the relationship between Hu Shi and this idealistic teacher.

Hu Shi kaolun mainly contains six long articles written by Xi Yunshu. In addition to the first chapter of Hu Shi's lessons and transcripts in Cornell, it also involves four aspects: Hu Shi's philosophical methodology and its origin, the relationship between Hu Shi and modern literature, the relationship between Hu Shi and modernity, and the research on Hu Shi's thought of "Chinese Renaissance". I usually pay more attention to the topics and am very interested in them, especially Hu Shi's relationship with western philosophy and Dewey. These research topics are all related to Hu Shi's English world and philosophy world, which is less involved in Hu Shi's previous research.

Based on various kinds of opportunities, I can't help but have a strong interest in Xi Yunshu's own learning and growth experience. As the old saying goes, I don't know who I am when I praise his poems and read his books? Xi Yunshu has rich experience in study and life. After graduating from the normal college of Yangzhou University, he stayed in school for three years and worked in Guangxi Normal University Press and Jiangsu Education Press for nine years. During this period, with his own efforts, he finished typesetting and transcribing all the traditional photocopies of new youth, which lasted for six years, with a total of more than 7 million words, This is an achievement of Jiahui Xuelin. So far, Hu Shi had an indissoluble bond with him. In 2010, he was admitted to Beijing Language and Culture University to study for a doctor's degree in literature. He returned to the college from the publishing industry, taking Hu Shi's "Chinese Renaissance" thought as the topic of his thesis. In 2013, he obtained a doctor's degree and stayed in the university to teach. In 2016, the doctoral dissertation won the first prize of the first cross strait "Hu Shi scholarship" awarded by Hu Shi memorial of Academia Sinica in Taipei.