Abstract: Although in the form of personal casual notes without any large but inappropriate structure of "historical philosophy" or obscure words, Records of Free Thoughts does have become a representative work of China's local historical philosophy in the latter half of the 20^th century. The strength and profoundness of theoretical thinking, which this modern Chinese historian has won in the spiritual purgatory, pervades in the work. This will be more and more splended as time goes by.

Key words: CHEN Xu-lu, Records of Free Thoughts, historical philosophy