Mao turned to Hu Shi: “Professor Hu, hello! Long time no see. Ninety years ago you were my teacher, and today you still are.”

Hu Shi smiled but remained silent. Born Hu Xuan, courtesy name Hongxing, he later adopted the name “Shi” in admiration of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, meaning “survival of the fittest.” Hu Shi was a leading figure of the New Culture Movement (1910s–1920s), making major contributions in literature, philosophy, history, education, and ethics. He passed away in 1962.

Mao recalled: “When you taught at Peking University, you influenced me greatly. I remember following your 1920 lecture on ‘A Self-Study University’ in Beijing, drafting the ‘Hunan First Self-Study University Charter,’ and bringing it to your home for review. I planned to establish it at the Chuan Shan Society in Changsha. You even named the university. In 1936, in Yan’an, I told Edgar Snow I was a loyal admirer of Chen Duxiu and you. I have never forgotten you!”

Hu Shi replied: “You wrote me letters, postcards, and even visited my home—very respectful and humble. But by 1945, after Japan’s defeat, things changed. I was in the U.S., sending you a telegram urging that, since Japan had surrendered, the CCP no longer needed a large private army. I suggested following the British Labour Party model: no soldiers, yet victorious. My telegram reached Chongqing, but I never received your reply. You were no longer the naïve student or library assistant of the May Fourth era, but a powerful party leader, so my plea went unheeded.”

He continued: “From 1938 to 1942, I served as ambassador in the U.S. In 1945, I was in the American academic community, returning to Peking University in 1946. In 1948, Chiang Kai-shek proposed I run for the first presidency; I agreed but the party congress ultimately supported Chiang. In November 1948, the PLA approached Beijing; Fu Zuoyi consulted me. I advised him: ‘Seek peace but be ready for change.’ I eventually left for Nanyuan Airport under military escort on December 15.”

Mao said: “I admire your ability to escape my grasp. Many scholars fell under my persuasion in Beijing, yet you eluded it. How did you do it?”

Hu Shi: “No special skill. I saw through communism even during the May Fourth period, hence my motto: ‘Study problems, not ideology.’ I foresaw the disaster of Russian communism.”

Mao: “I admire your foresight. You went to Shanghai afterward?”

Hu Shi: “Yes. In March 1949, Chiang sent Chiang Ching-kuo to urge me to act as a U.S. lobbyist to mediate the civil war. I left for San Francisco on April 21. By then, the PLA had crossed the Yangtze. I had no power to intervene. In June, I declined a proposal to become Minister of Foreign Affairs under Yan Xishan. I stayed in the U.S., earning a living at Princeton’s East Asia Library from 1950, and later refused U.S. requests to lead exiled Chinese opposition. In 1954, China’s campaign against me peaked. Tang Degang brought me newspapers weekly; we discussed past events while having meals, joking.”

Mao: “The campaign targeted your ideas, not you personally. I respected your character, but needed to control intellectual thought. Your independence opposed my doctrine; the criticism was unavoidable. The movement from 1951, peaking in 1954–1958, was massive.”

Hu Shi: “Yes. Intellectuals had to comply to survive. Even my son had to publish ‘Critique of My Father Hu Shi,’ calling me an enemy. He was labeled a rightist in 1957, driven to despair. Yet I lived freely in the U.S., eating and socializing with friends.”

Mao: “My goal was uniform obedience, which by 1958 was achieved. I called for the Great Leap Forward, the Three Red Banners, and millions worked day and night. But it failed, causing famine and millions of deaths—a grave mistake. My critique of your ideas was also wrong. Your works were later published and praised in China; your essay My Mother even entered middle school textbooks.”

Mao concluded: “In the 1950s, I promised to restore your reputation. Here and now, I officially restore your honor. All charges against you were my fault.”

Hu Shi laughed heartily at Mao’s exaggerated praise, enjoying the reconciliation and humor in the situation.

NEXT: 78. Hu Feng (1902–1985)