Wu Yu (1872-1949), scholar and poet whose intensely anti-Confucian writings contributed to the revolution in Chinese thought at the time of the May Fourth Movement. He taught at Peking and Szechwan universities. Little is known about Wu Yü's family background or early life. In his youth he apparently received a traditional education in the Chinese […]

Shen Yin-mo (1887-), professor of history and literary man who later won fame as a calligrapher. Wuhsing, Chekiang, was the native place of Shen Yin-mo. After receiving a traditional primary education in the Chinese classics, he attended the Chiahsing Normal School and later joined his brothers, Shen Shih-yuan and Shen Chien-shih, in Japan for advanced […]

Ch'ien Hsuan-t'ung (12 September 1887-17 January 1939), applied the critical methods of Hu Shih to the study of Chinese classical texts. He taught for many years at Peking University, where he contributed articles to the Hsin ch'ing-nien [new youth] and served as one of its editors. He was also a leader in the movement to […]

Ch'ü Ch'iu-pai (29 January 1899-18June 1935), Communist writer, became vice chairman of the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist party and wrote many pamphlets and articles. He unseated Ch'en Tu-hsiu to become general secretary of the party in 1927, but was criticized and removed from office in 1928. He became prominent in the League of […]

Ho Ch'i-fang (1910-), poet, journalist, and literary critic, was a prize-winning poet in his youth and an admirer of Western literature. He later became a leading figure in the Chinese Communist cultural hierarchy and a close associate of Chou Yang (q.v.). Little is known about Ho Ch'i-fang's family or early life except that he was […]

Hu Feng (1903-), Marxist literary critic, essayist, and poet. Because of his independent approach to Marxism and his affirmation that the artist is entitled to an individual vision of truth, he was singled out for attack in the 1955 campaign for ideological purity, which was led by Chou Yang (q.v.;. Although Hu Feng's father was […]

Hu Yeh-p'in (1907-7 February 1931), writer and companion of Ting Ling (q.v.). He became an ardent Communist and an official of the League of Left-Wing Writers. After his arrest and execution by the Nationalists, he became known as one of the five martyrs of the League of Left-Wing Writers. Foochow, Fukien, was the birthplace of […]

Ku Chieh-kang (1895-), a professor and historian known for his critically analytic investigations of Chinese antiquity. His best known work, the Ku-shih pien [discussions on Chinese ancient history], was published in seven volumes between 1926 and 1941. Born into a scholarly Soochow family, Ku Chieh-kang was exposed to the study of classical texts at a […]

Tu Chung-yuan (1895-1943), liberal journalist associated in Shanghai with Tsou T'ao-fen (q.v.) in dissemination ofanti-Japanese materials before 1937, for which action he was arrested by the National Government. He later went to Sinkiang, where he served under his fellow- Manchurian Sheng Shih-ts'ai (q.v.), who in 1943 had him executed as a "leftist." The Kaiyuan district […]

Ting Ling (c.1902-), novelist and short story writer who gained fame during the 1920's. She was known for her vivid descriptions of rebellious youth. Her later career centered on the Chinese Communist party, which she joined in 1933. She was an early critic of Mao Tse-tung's decrees on art, but received a Stalin prize for […]