Overseas communities mourn historian Hsu

Overseas Chinese communities in the United States on Monday deplored the passing of renowned historian Hsu Cho-yun, professor emeritus of history and sociology at the University of Pittsburgh, calling his perpetual efforts to amplify Chinese culture overseas "irreplaceable".

Hsu, born in 1930 in Xiamen, Fujian province, spent his childhood in areas along the Yangtze River before leaving the Chinese mainland for Taiwan with his family in 1948. An ardent history enthusiast, Hsu completed his graduate education in Taiwan and the United States and taught in the history department at the Taiwan University.

In the 1970s, Hsu migrated to the United States and accepted a full professorship at the University of Pittsburgh, where he specialized in ancient Chinese social and cultural history. Over the years, his research and publications centered around the essence of Chinese culture, fostering exchanges between the West and China, and garnering his preeminent academic status.

"Hsu embodies the altruistic spirit of old-school Chinese scholars," said Rose He, an advocate for peaceful reunification between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. "He was among the first group of Western scholars to orchestrate collaborations with universities and institutions in China soon after 1979, when the China-US relationship was normalized."

Specifically, he was a visiting professor at Nanjing University, where he gave very enlightening lectures to students and young scholars.

"Hsu is an exemplary representative of our Taiwan compatriots who deeply love the motherland," said Zhang Jingjing, a founding member of the San Francisco-based China Peaceful Unification Western America. "He spares no effort to promote China, Chinese culture; He has always taken pride in being Chinese, through his lectures, his scholarly work, his words and deeds. I guess that's why Hsu once said: 'What concerns China concerns me.'"

For Dong Xudong, a community leader in northern California who majored in Chinese history, what impressed him the most was Hsu's intense longing and heartfelt nostalgia for the motherland.

"We lament the passing of professor Hsu, hoping that the cause of peaceful reunification across the Taiwan Strait can be achieved soon," said Dong.

Profound homesickness

"His profound homesickness has been manifest throughout his life after he left the Chinese mainland," said Dong. "Whoever shared the same experience as Hsu's would understand why he choked and paused for eight seconds in a broadcast interview." In early 2020, in a show when being asked about his unfulfilled dream, Hsu cited the famous prose of Lu You in the Song Dynasty (960-1279): "But what grieves me is not to have seen our land united."

"We can feel his pain regarding his reflection on national identity, cross-Strait relations, and the national reunification," said Dong. "That also helps explain why Hsu had long planned to be buried next to his parents in his hometown in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. This equates to a lost child finally returning home."

"My heart is overwhelmed with grief," said Dai Chi, a Taiwan compatriot who has been based in California and has been crafting cultural exchanges between China and the US for more than 30 years. Sharing similar childhood backgrounds, Dai resonates with Hsu's "lifelong yearning for national unity and the rejuvenation of China".

Calling Hsu a "pillar or beam", Dai said Hsu has devoted his life to the cause of the nation. Though Hsu resided overseas, "his heart remained tied to China, deeply concerned with the greater good of our people. With history as his vessel and culture as his oar, he bridged East and West, blending past and present, transcending the role of a mere scholar to become a beacon for the nation and a torchbearer of culture," Dai added.

Hsu's passing marks the curtain fall of an era, Dai said. "Though we may fall far short of his greatness, we must carry forward his will, continue his work, remain steadfast, and forge ahead through thorns and brambles."