In China Hu Lancheng began his career by working as a clerk in the University of Yen-ching, located in
Beijing, which eventually exposed him to the western intellectual thought that inspired much of his writing and political beliefs,
Marxism being one example. This was followed by a period of teaching positions at various high schools, this lasted about five years approximately. Hu Lancheng's acclaimed literary career began in Guangxi province in 1932 with the publishing of various essays in local in journals and newspapers. Under the employment of
Wang Jingwei in the late 1930s, Hu's essays functioned as propaganda for the movement, most of which were featured in an organization devoted to the supporting Wang's ideals, such as the South China Daily. In 1938, Hu was the general editor of the South China Daily newspaper and simultaneously worked as an editor of the international relations sector of
Weilan Shu Dian 蔚蓝书店 (Blue Bookstore). It has been said that the latter of the two provided him with the ability to critically analyze international relations, a topic which was continuously featured in his editorials. One of his most popular works from this era was the essay
Zhannan he yi buyi (To seek battle is difficult; to seek peace is no less easy). Once Wang Jing-wei officially left the
GMD (or Nationalist party), Hu Lancheng was promoted to the position of Deputy Minister of Propaganda within the party, and also worked for a time as Wang's secretary.
In Japan In April 1950, Hu Lancheng managed to escape to Japan by cruise with the help of Xiong Jiandong (熊剑东) after staying in Hong Kong for five months. Having landed at
Yokohama, Hu headed for Tokyo in search of help from his old friends, Tōzō Shimizu and Tomoki Ikeda, who later introduced him to the then socialites in Japan and helped broaden his social circle. In 1951, Hu settled down in Tokyo where he attended several political party meetings and composed articles to offer strategies for Japan in the
Korean War. Even though the Taiwan government went against him for his being a traitor, Hu got to continue his work with the Japanese government at his back. When the
Korean War was over, Hu started to lose his status as an “amateur politician.” Later in March 1954, Hu Lancheng married She Aizhen (佘爱珍) who came to Tokyo with Li Xiaobao (李小宝). In the following three to four years, Hu finished two of the most important books in his life:
Shanhe suiyue (China through Time) and
Jinsheng jinshi (This Life, This World), aiming to tap into the field of literature after his political failure in Japan. During his exile in Japan, Hu Lancheng kept in touch with mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan with his friend
Tang Chun-i (唐君毅) as the intermediary. They have written over 100 letters to each other and nearly one-third of them were written from 1950 to 1951.
In Taiwan After Hu fled to Japan, a period of his life lasting approximately 20 years, he moved to
Taiwan to teach in 1974. However, his career at the Chinese Culture Institute of Taiwan was short-lived. Other academics and intellectuals had exposed Hu as a collaborationist from the Sino-Japanese War via essays in public journals and newspapers, ultimately ending his time as a formal teacher in Taiwan. That being said, Hu continued to act as a mentor while in Taiwan, the Taiwanese writers and intellectuals
Chu Tien-hsin and
Chu Tien-wen being among his pupils. The latter of the two went on to write a memoir devoted to Hu,
Huayi quanshen (Last life of a flower), as well as many other literary pieces. Some other examples of these works include ‘On Myths and Riddles’ and ‘On Confessions’. ==Politics==