[1] Following the May Fourth Movement in 1919, he participated in the founding of the magazine "Zhejiang New Trends", and received recognition for his essay "Non-filial" that was published in its 2nd issue regarding the closed family culture of Chinese society.

When he returned, he met up with the editor of "New Youth" Chen Duxiu upon the liaison from Yu Xiusong, taking up the Marxist ideology and joining the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as one of its founding members.

The systematic killing of CCP leaders and the breakdown of the communist movement in Shanghai were precipitating factors that made Shi denounce his party membership.

After 1929, he was involved in translating Marxist works, revolutionary and economic theories and during the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was one of the few people who advocated for the protection of Chinese culture.

At one point he was elected to the Central Committee and vice chairmanship of the Democratic National Construction Association.