Kun Hu

胡堃出生于江西景德镇，祖籍江西玉山。幼时随父母下放至经公桥，时代在他不谙世事的年纪刻下身份的烙印，也塑造了他此后坚韧而倔强的性格。

胡堃的求学之路，铺满鲜花与掌声。天资聪颖，勤勉好学，他始终是师长眼中的骄傲。高中就读景德镇三中，后考入复旦大学中文系，又在华东师大民俗学专业完成硕士学业。赴美后，他先于威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校攻读人类学博士，后为家庭毅然转向，进入加州州立大学萨克拉门托分校学习计算机。导师曾力荐他继续攻读博士，但他选择尽早承担起家庭的责任，自此踏上近三十年的软件工程职业生涯。

胡堃从民俗学转向代码世界，却未曾割舍对结构与语言的敏感。他说，写代码如写文章，皆求逻辑清晰、语言简练。他曾参与加州公务员退休系统（CALPERS）与美国司法部（DOJ）等大型软件系统的开发，担任核心工程师；也曾回到上海，在亚申科技担任软件总架构师，为公司铺设坚实的技术基石。

胡堃与妻子秦建英相识于上海华东师范大学校园。那时，他是文采飞扬的中文系讲师，她是外文系大二的年轻学子。从菁菁校园到异国他乡，他们携手共建家庭，育有一女一子——女儿瑞琪、儿子瑞麟。在孩子成长的岁月里，他从不缺席——女儿的网球训练，儿子的游泳训练、演讲辩论，都有他一路陪伴的心血。如今孩子们皆已长大成人，步入职场，成为他生命中另一份深沉的骄傲。

胡堃一生勤恳工作，心无旁骛，只为给家人撑起一片无雨的屋檐。他是这个家最稳重的依靠，也是妻子心中亦师亦友的理想伴侣。

在工作生活之余，胡堃也把传播中华文化作为己任。2007年至2009年间，他担任长城中文学校校长，主持设计新的学生注册系统并开展家长义工活动，为中文学校的发展与华文教育的传承作出了积极贡献。

胡堃热爱运动，篮球、排球都打得有模有样。生病后，他转向温和的皮克球，依然投注着对生活的热忱。

早年的经历赋予他要强的性格与厚重的责任感，而这责任，也曾成为他生命中不能言说的重担。直到他听见《马太福音》中那句：“凡劳苦担重担的人，可以到我这里来，我就使你们得安息。”他潸然泪下，终于在信仰中寻得心灵的归处。2024年岁末，他受洗成为基督徒。

如今，他已卸下一切劳苦与重担，安息主怀。愿他在永恒之光中，得享真正的平安与自由。

我们永远永远怀念他。

Kun Hu was born in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, with ancestral roots in Yushan, Jiangxi. As a child, his family was sent down to Jinggongqiao. The conditions of the countryside left a lasting mark on his identity. It was there that he developed a resilience and quiet defiance that shaped his fearless approach to life.

Kun Hu’s years in school were marked by brilliance and recognition. Gifted, diligent, and intellectually curious, he was always a source of pride for his teachers. He attended Jingdezhen No. 3 High School, then entered the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University. Later, he earned his master’s degree in Folklore Studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai. After moving to the United States, he began a Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but given the uncertainty of a career in academia, changed course to study Computer Science at California State University, Sacramento. Though the professor at Sac State encouraged him to continue toward the doctorate, he decided to shoulder family responsibilities early, starting a nearly thirty-year career in software engineering.

From folklore to Python, Hu Kun never lost his affinity for structure and language. “Writing code is like writing an essay,” he once said. “Both demand clear logic and precise expression.” He contributed to large-scale software systems for CALPERS and the Department of Justice serving as a core engineer ; He also returned to Shanghai as Chief Software Architect for Yashen Technology, where he built the company’s core database and automation infrastructure.

Hu Kun met his wife Jianying Qin during his time at East China Normal University. He was a young lecturer in the Chinese Language and Culture Department, and she was a sophomore in the Foreign Languages Department. Those vibrant days on campus bloomed into a shared life in the States, where they raised two children: Rikki and James. Throughout their childhood, he was fiercely involved—from his daughter’s tennis matches to his son’s swim meets and debate tournaments—his presence applied a gentle, constant pressure that allowed them to grow into their best selves. His children remain one of his deepest and proudest joys.

Beyond his profession, Hu Kun was committed to preserving Chinese culture within his community. From 2007 to 2009, he served as principal of the Great Wall Chinese School, where he led the design of a new student registration system and organized parent volunteer programs, contributing significantly to the school’s growth and Chinese language education.

Hu Kun loved sports—basketball and volleyball were longtime passions. After his diagnosis, he started playing pickleball, still approaching the game with his characteristic enthusiasm which meant learning every shot in the book and thinking through countless game strategies.

The experiences of his early years instilled in him both a fierce strength and a profound sense of duty—responsibilities that, at times, became heavy, unspoken burdens. Until one day, he heard these words from the Gospel of Matthew:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Moved to tears, he found his spiritual home at last. At the end of 2024, he was baptized as a Christian. Now, he has laid down all toil and burden, resting peacefully in the Lord’s embrace. May he dwell forever in the light of eternity, and may his soul know true peace and freedom.

We will love and remember him—Always and Forever