A Review of Zhou Hui-quan's Researches on Literature of the Jin Dynasty

Zhou Hui-quan is an influential contemporary expert on literature of the Jin Dynasty. His contributions to the area include: a comprehensive and deep-going probing into the literature of that period from macroscopic, esthetic, and cultural angles; settlement of quite some historical doubts and divergent opinions through meticulous studies of many writers, works, and literary events; an overall, systematic investigation on the literary works of the Jin Dynasty, either extant or lost; and an insightful review of the history of researches on literature of the Jin Dynasty. His scholarly activity is commendable in many ways. He has generally persisted with his own ideas though they have been continually improved. His methodology has always shown combinations of macroscopic research with microscopic research, of bibliographical studies with esthetic interpretations, of the author's creation with acceptance of the readership, of literary history with academic evolvement, and of rational thinking with empirical evidence. He also pays much attention to using both traditional and imported approaches for reference.