Theodone C. Hu was born in 1872 in Huangpu town, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
[4] (Hu's ancestors had moved from Chongan in Fujian to Huanpu town during the Yuan Dynasty.)
Theodone Hu passed the entrance exam in Hong Kong and studied in the university, where he earned his bachelor's degree in engineering.
He also wrote the book Rail Road of China (《中国铁路指南》), which brought him to the attention of Chinese railway companies.
In 1906, Hu was invited by the governor of Sichuan, Liang Xi, to build railroads, and so he returned to China.
Hu arrived at Sichuan in September, when he received a telegram from home saying that his wife had died.
He led a group of about 20 people (seven assistant engineers, two committee members, seven janissaries) to survey the routes from Chengdu in Chongqing.
In 1922, he was appointed as an engineer in Guangdong Construction Highway Department and took the survey of the road from Chaoguan to Pingshi.
[6] Hu also wrote a letter to Jianying Ye, the chairman of Guangdong, and proposed road construction programs in south China.
From 1950, Hu worked in the Guangdong Cultural Relics Preservation Committee and fulfilled his "dream of becoming a librarian".