The Bumptious Intellectuals and the Urban Humanities Spirit of Suzhou During the Mid and Late Ming Dynasty

During the mid and late Ming periods,influenced by the Wang Yangming School,the Chan School of Buddhism,and Taoism,a special category of intellectuals appeared in the Jiangnan society.They did not conform the convention,disobey the rules,and behaved randomly,did not aim at studying Confucianism classics,or seeking the official career,but were good at writing poems,articles and drawing,which were called maniac intellectuals.And they had existed in the traditional Chinese society,but only formed a group in Suzhou.The reasons were close to the rich economy,the development of business,the growing of the residential social class,the relatively free political atmosphere,and the profound culture.We can say that the appearance of the maniac intellectuals group reflected the change of the custom in the special environment,and was a special representation form in a particular time of tradition culture.