Okamura Han's Tao Yuanming and Some Related Questions of Modernity:Review on Hu Xiaoming's the Helmsman of Dragon Boat and Tao Yuanming

In the history of Chinese culture and literature,Tao Yuanming was universally respected for his virtuous personality and quietly elegant poetic style.But in New Perspectives on Tao Yuanming by Japanese Sinologist Okamura Han,Tao's life is described as extremely individualistic and randomly free with an obviously lack of social coordination,no matter in his official career or in seclusion.However,Chinese scholars do not take share this new view,pointing out that this view is embedded in hidden modern narrative logics and modern Japanese corporate ethics which conflicts with the of ancient Tao Yuanming.It is argued in this paper that it is not important to judge who is right or wrong.Instead,it is essential that modern reflexive awareness be introduced into the modern Tao study and all the theories in general and the premise of the augmentation itself in particular should be critically reviewed.Meanwhile,the understanding of the truth should be transferred from tracking the of ancient facts to the that is commonly acknowledged after discussions among researchers.Only by doing so can the Tao study be further expanded.