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Ch'en (Shou-yi) Papers
H.Mss.0176
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Table of contents
Title: Ch'en Shou-yi Papers
Dates: 1900-1978
Collecction number: H.Mss.0176
Creator:
Ch'en, Shou-yi
Extent:
29 boxes.
9 document boxes located in Special Collections;
20 records boxes located in Asian Library.
Professional and personal correspondence, 1930s-1970s; Photos, including those of family and friends; Personal documents including
employment letters from Peking University; Lingnan University related documents, including photos, exams, reading notes; memoranda
and reports pertaining to Pomona Colleges administrative and department matters; personal library of Chinese manuscripts,
ephemera, and photos from the 18th to early 20th century.
Repository:
Claremont Colleges. Library Special Collections, Honnold/Mudd Library. Claremont, CA 91711
Abstract: Professor Ch'en Shou-yi (Chinese: 陳受頤, 1899-1978) was a Chinese scholar known for his groundbreaking contribution to the comparative
cultural studies of modern China and the historical studies of Sino- western cultural exchange. He was born into a prestigious
literati family in Panyu, Canton (Guangdong). Ch'en Shou-yi graduated from the Canton Christian College (later Lingnan University)
in 1920.
In 1929 he received a Ph.D. degree in comparative literature from the University of Chicago. He served as the Chair of the
History
Department of the Peking University from 1931-1937. He was a highly acclaimed scholar, developed close ties with prestigious
scholars of the time such as Hu Shih (胡适)Fu Sinian (傅斯年) Lin Yutang (林語堂), and Chiang Monlin (蔣夢麟), and maintained life-long
friendships with them. In 1941 he joined the Pomona College faculty as a full-time professor and remained on that post until
his retirement in 1967. After he passed away in 1978, his family donated his correspondence, photos, private library collections,
work notes, manuscripts, and more to the Claremont Colleges. The collection consists of Prof. Ch'en's following professional
and personal correspondence from the 1930s-1970s: photos, including those of family and friends; Personal documents including
employment letters from Peking University; Lingnan University-related documents, including photos, exams, and reading notes;
memoranda and reports pertaining to Pomona Colleges administrative and department matters; personal library of Chinese manuscripts,
ephemera, and photos from the 18th to early 20th century.
Physical Location: Please consult repository.
Language of Material:
English; Chinese.
Collection is open for research.
All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to Special Collections.
[Identification of item], Ch'en Shou-yi Papers (H.Mss.0176). Special Collections, The Claremont Colleges Library, Claremont,
CA.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift, Ch'en Shou-yi family, 1978.
No additions to the collection are anticipated.
Ch'en Shou-yi received his B.A from Lingnan University in 1920, and his Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University
of Chicago in 1929. He served as a professor and chair of the History Department, Peking University, 1931-1936. He was a visiting
professor at Pomona College 1936-1937, and at University of Hawaii 1937-1941. In 1941 he joined the Pomona College faculty
and retired in 1967. Prof. Ch'en was chiefly instrumental in establishing the Asian Studies Program at Pomona College which
led eventually to the Department of Chinese Language and Literature. Appointed the first chairman of that department in 1941,
he served until 1976. Dr. Ch'en passed away in February 1978.
Throughout his career, Prof. Ch'en maintained life-long friendships and connections with several prominent figures in modern
Chinese intellectual history, most notably Hu Shih, Lin Yutang, Fu Sinian, and Chiang Monlin. Correspondence and letters to
and from these and a few others form the majority of what has been processed so far.
Professional and personal correspondence, 1930s-1970s; Photos, including those of family and friends; Personal documents including
employment letters from Peking University; Lingnan University related documents, including photos, exams, reading notes; memoranda
and reports pertaining to Pomona College's administrative and department matters; personal library of Chinese manuscripts,
ephemera, and photos from the 19th to early 20th century.
To date, only the correspondence, photographs and other documents have been processed. They are arranged as follows:
Series 1: Correspondence
Series 2: Photographs
Series 3: Biographical materials
Series 4: Teaching and research materials
Ch'en Shou-yi Papers, 陳受頤文書, Academia Sinica, http://tais.ith.sinica.edu.tw/sinicafrsFront/browsingLevel1.jsp?xmlId=0000290576
Shau Wing Chan Papers (SC0421), Stanford University, https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt796nf4tz/
The following terms have been used to inedex the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Confucianism
China History
Pomona College (Claremont, Calif.) -- Faculty
Ling nan da xue (Guangzhou, China)
Beijing da xue
Photographs
Outlines and syllabi
Speeches, addresses, etc.
Correspondence