Born in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province in 1912, Hu graduated from the Department of Foreign Literature, College of Arts and Sciences, National Chekiang University in 1935.

In the early part of his career, he was, in chronological order, the party secretary (Communist Youth League of China) in Xijiao District, Beiping City (now Beijing) and the head of the Propaganda Department (Communist Youth League of China) in Xijiao District, Beiping City.

In 1956, Hu was elected to be a member of the Eighth Politburo of the CCP and the alternative secretary of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party.

[3] The book emphasised the Mao Zedong's ideological importance, writing that only he was able to correctly interpret and apply Marxism–Leninism to the Chinese situation.

[1] It also gave praise and recognition to orthodox Marxism, Joseph Stalin, the Comintern and the Soviet Union, acknowledging their role in the revolution and the formation of the Chinese Communist Party.

[2]: 71 As vice premier, Deng Xiaoping in 1975 sought to re-orient the Chinese Academy of Sciences towards more theoretical research, which had not been a focus during the Cultural Revolution.

[4]: 74  This approach to scientific reform fell out of political favor in 1976 when Deng was purged, although it continued to be supported by many members within CAS.