Abstract: Since the 20th century, scholars in European countries, the United States, and Japan have studied Chinese history and culture. Due to their scientific method, the discovery and use of new historical materials and the application of many languages, there was rapid progress in overseas Sinology, which virtually brought Chinese historians enormous pressure. HU Shi, CHEN Yuan, CHEN Yin--ke, FU Si--nian and other Chinese scholars took painstaking efforts to awaken nationalism, trying to recapture the center of Sinology back to China and to transform what was originally negative burden into a positive power, which to some extent made a prosperous aspect in the historian circle in the Republic of China. The development of historiography in the Republic of China, especially the fields such as ancient Chinese history, history of sino--foreign communication, history of the Mongolian Yuan were all affected by overseas Sinology. At that time, though the domestic academic circle was filled with an atmosphere of competing with Sinology, they in general held a cautious and rational attitude towards it, neither blindly praised nor totally denied it. However, the mainstream of the academic circle repeatedly advocated learning from overseas Sinology, which had after all objectively encouraged the abuse of foreign assistance and blind belief in foreign studies. This bad practice has not been changed till now. On the contrary, it becomes even worse, which can be the biggest challenge to the Chinese historian circle.

Key words: the Republic of China, the historian circle, Sinology, HU Shi