Xu Dishan

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Xu Dishan (许 地 山, * 1893 in Nantai , † 1941 in Hong Kong ) was an important Chinese writer , scholar and religious scholar .

Xu was in Taiwan as a son from Jieyang ( Guangdong born derived), patriotic family. Just two years after his birth, Taiwan was occupied by Japanese troops and the family had to move to the mainland. They settled in Longxi ( Fujian ). Although Xu's parents were Buddhists , Xu Dishan converted to Christianity .

Although his family ran out of funds, Xu Dishan managed to enter Yanjing University ( Beijing ) in 1917 . There he actively participated in the May Fourth Movement and began writing for the magazine neue Gesellschaft (新 社会). In 1920 he completed his studies in literature and got a research position; In 1922 he completed his studies in religious studies. A large number of early essays date from this phase, the most famous of which is The Peanut (落花生). These essays express his philosophy of life, his rich imagination and strong feelings in a fluid and concise style.

From 1923 to 1926 he spent time abroad first in the USA at Columbia University and later in Great Britain at Oxford University , where he conducted research in the history of religion, philosophy and folklore. On the way back from England to China he stopped his trip in India, where he studied Sanskrit and Buddhism .

From 1927, Xu Dishan worked as a professor at Yanjing University , but also taught at Peking University and Tsinghua University . In 1935, he left Beijing for Hong Kong after falling out with the rector of Yanjing University, John Leighton Stuart .

In Hong Kong, in addition to his professorship at Hong Kong University, he was active in the resistance against the Japanese attack on China. He also chaired the Hong Kong Association of Writers and Artists. In this function he made petitions to various donors in order to finance the resistance activities. In 1941, Xu Dishan died of an overworked illness.

In addition to numerous short stories, essays, and some novels, Xu left behind a large number of writings on the Chinese religions, which were widely recognized by other Chinese scholars, although Xu was himself a Christian.