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Title: Li Shenzhi 李慎之 papers
Date (inclusive): 1957-1970
Collection Number: 2022C43
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In Chinese
Physical Description:
2 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box
(2.33 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Li Shenzhi (1923-2003) was a
social scientist and key advisor to leaders in the People's Republic of China. He
served as foreign affairs secretary for Zhou Enlai; foreign affairs advisor to Deng
Xiaoping; founder and vice-president of the Institute of American Studies at the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS); and member of the delegation during the
Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang's visit to the United States in 1984. He later critiqued
authoritarianism and became a proponent of intellectual freedom and liberal
democracy.The collection consists of Li Shenzhi's unpublished manuscripts and
writings from the 1950s and the 1960s on the Anti-Rightist Movement, the Chinese
Cultural Revolution, and Chinese Communist Party members.
Creator:
Li, Shenzhi
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library &
Archives
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our
reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the
collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library &
Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in [2022].
[Identification of item], Li Shenzhi 李慎之 papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title],
Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Li Shenzhi 李慎之 (1923-2003) was born in 1923 in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. Between 1941
and 1945 he studied consecutively in Yenching University in Beijing and St. John's
University in Shanghai before relocating to Yengching University in Chengdu. During
this period, he participated in underground organizations of the Chinese Communist
Party (CCP). Shortly after the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Li joined the
CCP-sponsored Xinhua News Agency as an editor. During the Korean War (1950-53), Li
was assigned to create warfare propaganda to persuade Chinese POWs to return to
China. Between 1954 and 1957, Li served as a secretary for Chinese premier Zhou
Enlai in foreign affairs. In 1957, he was purged by Chairman Mao Zedong during the
Anti-Rightist Movement due to his advocacy for democracy within the CCP. In 1973, as
relations between China and the United States improved as a result of President
Richard Nixon's historic visit to China, Li was recalled to Beijing to partake in
the CCP's task force on international studies. In 1979, Li served as Deng Xiaoping's
advisor on American affairs, accompanying Deng to visit the United States. Shortly
thereafter, he was put in charge of founding the Institute of American Studies at
the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), China's premier think tank, designed
to undertake comprehensive research into all aspects of the United States. In 1984,
Li was a member of the delegation that accompanied Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang to
the United States. In 1985, Li was appointed vice-president of the CASS and
continued to serve as the head of the Institute of American Studies. He retired in
1989 and died in Beijing in 2003. Li has been widely acclaimed by Chinese
intellectuals for his liberal-democratic credentials and his powerful criticism of
authoritarianism.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection consists of Li Shenzhi's unpublished manuscripts and writings
primarily from the 1950s and the 1960s. Notably, these include archival materials
from the Anti-Rightist Movement of the 1950s, Li's self-reflection and
self-criticism writings in the late 1950s and the early 1960s, documents related to
the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and Li's recollections about other Chinese
Communist Party members.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
China -- History -- Antirightist
Campaign, 1957-1958
China -- History -- Cultural
Revolution, 1966-1976
China -- Politics and government --
1949-1976
Zhongguo gong chan
dang