Hu Shi (1891-1962), with the courtesy name Shizhi, was a renowned scholar and social activist in modern times. He was born in Jixi County. Coming from a prominent Huizhou merchant family, Hu Shi went to the United States in 1910 and became a student of the pragmatist philosopher John Dewey in 1915. In 1917, he returned to China and became a professor at Peking University.

Hu Shi was widely knowledgeable and held over thirty doctoral degrees. In 1917, he published "A Preliminary Discussion of Literature Reform," which marked the beginning of the modern literature revolution in China. In 1918, he joined the editorial department of the magazine "New Youth" and vigorously advocated for vernacular language. He also wrote the first collection of vernacular poetry, titled "An Attempt," establishing himself as one of the leaders of the New Culture Movement. In 1919, Hu Shi took over as the chief editor of "Weekly Review" and published "Study More Problems, Talk Less Isms," proposing a pragmatic methodology of "bold hypotheses and cautious verification" that had a significant influence nationwide. He also advocated for "complete Westernization."

During the resistance against the Japanese invasion, Hu Shi served as an envoy to the United States and represented Chiang Kai-shek in signing the Sino-American Mutual Assistance Treaty. He aligned politically with the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) and was a master in academia, with extensive writings and scholarly methods influenced by the Huizhou school of thought.