The Social Intercourse of the Maniac Intellectuals and the Prevailing Custom among the Intellectuals in Jiannan Region during the Mid and Late Ming Period

Maniac intellectuals was a special category of intellectuals in the traditional society of China. During the mid and late Ming periods, under the influences of Wang Yangming School, the Chan School of Buddhism, and Taoism, the maniac intellectuals became especially popular in Jiangnan region, which constitutes a social and cultural phenomenon that deserves special treatment. The social conducts of the maniac intellectuals were with the characteristic of self-indulgence concerning little about conventional rules, which often violated traditional Confucianism teaching. The popularity of the maniac intellectuals' exceptional behaviors, including their usually exaggerated and artificial conducts,indicates that the Jiangnan intellectuals in the Ming dynasty were experiencing internal distress and anxiousness,which was a special reflection of traditional Chinese culture in the social and cultural contexts of that particular era.