Hu Shih Memorial Hall, a place to commemorate a great thinker

Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) Hu Shih (胡適), an intellectual and educator, known for his leading role in the Chinese literary renaissance, support for the Chinese vernacular language and anti-imperialist May Fourth Movement in 1919, is buried next to his former residence in Taipei City's Nangang District.

Hu's former residence is part of Hu Shih Memorial Hall, which is on the campus of Academia Sinica, where he served as president from 1958 to 1962. The memorial hall was designated a culture asset by Taipei City Government's Department of Cultural Affairs in late November 2024, in recognition of Hu's academic contribution and the building's historical value.

Hu, born in 1891 in Shanghai during the Qing dynasty, was among 100 youths sent by the government to study in the United States. That experience greatly influenced the philosopher, who strongly believed in democracy and the freedom of the individual to create, criticize the government and be independent from the collective.

The recognition of the memorial hall as a cultural asset by Taipei City Government echoes an Academic Sinica educational website: Yan Zhi You Wu (研之有物), which says Hu's entire life symbolized a revolution but notes that his revolution was of the mind not the battlefield, fighting for freedom, democracy and science through writing.

Vin Wu (吳仁麟), a columnist and CEO of innovation consulting firm Ideals Want, who has studied Hu Shih, told CNA that as a scholar Hu seems to be better known in China than Taiwan.

"When I traveled to China, I found the memorial hall was highly recommended to Chinese visitors when they planned to visit Taiwan as Hu Shih was an advocate of liberalism," Wu said. "I think Hu is considered a scholar with integrity and as such is able to serve as a bridge for intellectuals in Taiwan and China at a time of escalating cross strait tensions."

In a recent column in the Economic Daily News, Wu said like an intellectual the memorial hall is imbued with nobility and pride, making it a unique place to visit in a secular world.

During his tenure as president of the top research institution in Taiwan until he passed away at 70 in 1962, Hu lived in the 165 square meter one story building with red brick walls, a black tile roof and surrounded by a lush green lawn.

While the exterior of the residence is in a Japanese style, its interior is decorated in the southern U.S. style of the 1950s, with the living room showcasing a combination of architectural arts, Yan Zhi You Wu observes.

The house has a small dining room, where Hu spent much time thinking and writing. It also includes a study with a large number of Chinese and English books.

The residence was built in 1958 and Academia Sinica has largely maintained its original appearance, while remodeling a room where Hu met with guests into a showroom.

Hu served as a war time ambassador of the Republic of China (ROC) to the U.S. from 1938-1942, cultivating a mixed taste in fashion so the showroom displays his western style suits, leather shoes and accessories such as cuff-links, along with Chinese long gowns in the Qing Dynasty style.

Also in the showroom, visitors are able to look more closely at Hu's letters, hand written manuscripts, copybooks and annotations.

Visitors to the memorial hall can also carefully digest Hu's famous quotes including "bold hypothesis, careful verification" (大膽的假設,小心的求證) to highlight the spirit of his scholarly research as a supporter of the school of Pragmatism.

Hu's tomb lies on a hill across from his former home. The government established Hu Shih Park by acquiring land nearby to boost the total area to 16,000 square meters and opened it to the public in 1973.

Taiwan Panorama, a multi-language publication in Taiwan, once described the memorial hall as a place to commemorate "an indomitable thinker" as Hu's "eventful extraordinary life is laid out in detail at his eponymous memorial hall, and the park."

Hu Shih Memorial Hall opens Tuesday through Saturday with admission free, while closing for public holidays.