Li Shu-hua
Chinese scientist (1890-1979)
Li Shu-hua (simplified Chinese: 李书华; traditional Chinese: 李書華; pinyin: Lǐ Shūhuá, courtesy name: Runzhang 潤章, 23 September 1890 – 5 July 1979) was a Chinese biophysicist and politician. He was an educator, and administrator at Beijing University and a Chinese diplomat. He was the brother of Li Shu-tien.
He went to France where he earned a doctorate in physics. In 1922 he returned to China where he worked at the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China and at the Academia Sinica.
From 1935 to 1949 he was chairman of the Chinese delegation of the Commission Mixte des Oeuvres Franco-Chinoises. In 1945 he was elected a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang and participated in the conference for the founding of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In 1946, 1947, and 1949 he attended the general conferences of the UNESCO as a Chinese delegate; in 1952 he served as chairman of the Chinese delegation to the Seventh General Conference of UNESCO.
In 1949 he returned to France where he did research work at the Universite de Paris. In the academic year of 1951–52 he taught Chinese language and culture at the University of Hamburg in Germany.
He relocated to New York City in 1953 and died of a heart attack there in 1979.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Li Shu-hua” is chinese scientist (1890-1979). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Shu-hua, Chinese and scientist, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “chinese scientist (1890-1979)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4141131. VIAF identifies the subject as 53946105. The Library of Congress control number is no2008005421. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1890, 1979, 1922 and 1935.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Li Shu-hua”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Li Shu-hua primary sources, Li Shu-hua archive and Shu-hua research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Li Shu-hua”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Li Shu-hua” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.