A Study On Hu Shi’s Thoughts On Female Liberaiton

Hu Shi is one of the most influential scholars in the intellectual history of modern China. As one of the representative figures during the transitional period from traditional to modern society, Hu’s ideology have had a broad impact both at that time and later in the historical process. This article focuses on elaborating Hu’s thoughts on women’s liberation and development. And based on the Marxist materialistic interpretation of history, I try to evaluate and analyse its historical significance,and to exploit its benefits to modern soceity.Three aspects could be generalized from Hu’s thoughts on female emancipation: women’s marriage, women’s education and women’s liberation. In discussing women’s liberation, Hu embodied both being radical and moderate, both open-minded and conservative. He supported freedom in love affair and divorce decision, while advocating conducting discreet conference with parents in making decisions of marrying matters. He believed in education as a fundamental measure to achieve the liberation of women, but also attaches great importance to family education, and appreciated the rationality in Chinese traditional ethics of "Mother Education" and "Wifely Obligation ". He encouraged women to break their mental chains,to particiate in social activities and achieve their personal values, mealwhile, he respected individual differences,and placed shared value on being a good mother and wife, and on going out to work. Under intense cross- cultural clashes, Hu’s female thoughts present three characteristics:a strong sense of individualism, a lack of thoroughness while being temperate and robust, and a compromise of eastern and western culture.With the intention of enlightenment, Hu advocated women’s liberation using individulism, emphasizing women’s individualism, independence and social responsibility. He revealed the hash living conditons of women at that time, greatly contributed to the awakening of women, and promoted the further development of women’s liberation movement. However, Hu opposed violent revolution, and advocated moderate social reform bit by bit. His thinking and design for women’s liberation basically remained in cultural level, which did not conform to the development trend of China at that time, and was ultimately lost in the tide of revolution.Hu proposed his thoughts on women’s emancipation at a time when the western and eastern culture, the ancient and modern culture clashes, Which is similar with contemporary situation. While western feminism spread widely in China, Chinese traditional ethics on women,including female virtues,has initiated the advocation of lady’s education. How should women liberate themselves? It’s an issue worth a well-attended conference. Hu’s thoughts on gender equality, female self-liberation and female education, has shed light on these issues under contemporary culture environment.