Lin Yu-tang and the late Ming Dynasty-styled essays

Lin Yu-tang vigorously advocated the late Ming dynasty-styled essays during 1920-1930s,which was divided into three periods: in the first period,Lin focused on the study of literary forms aiming at exploring an easy and free language model for modern Chinese; in the second period, he founded the magazine,Analects which stressed an carefree, leisurely and moderate life attitude reflected in the late Ming essays which were used as an ideal tool to spread the Western “humor”;in the third period, facing the radical social transform,and the ruin of his ideal democracy and freedom, he turned to be conservative.Thus,he used essays as his spiritual land to perfect himself.Lin Yu-tang advocated the late Ming essays not just because he used it to rejuvenate the classical style,but because he tried to make a new explanation of it according to the change of times and society.and used it as the tool and carrier for the life ideal.Although Lin′s essays have a passive effect on contradictory modern China,it forms the chat style,a new artistic style of prose.