Tu Long facts for kids
Tu Long (1542–1605) was a famous writer from China during the Ming Dynasty. He wrote plays and essays. An essay is a short piece of writing about a specific topic. Tu Long was born in Yin county, which is now part of Ningbo city in Zhejiang province.
In 1577, Tu Long passed a very important test called the jinshi examination. This was a high degree that allowed him to work for the government. He became a Chief Magistrate in Qingpu, which is now part of Shanghai. A magistrate was like a local leader or judge. Later, he left his government job and focused on writing plays and essays.
Tu Long believed that writers should express their true feelings. He did not like sticking to old, strict writing rules. He thought writers should write from their heart. He lived for about 62 or 63 years.
What Tu Long Wrote
Tu Long created many different kinds of writings. He wrote plays, poems, and essays.
- Plays:
- Tan Hua Ji (The Story of Udumbara)
- Cai Hau Ji (A Tale of Colorful Feather), which was about the famous Tang dynasty poet Li Bai
- Poems:
- Bai Yu Ji (White Elm Collection)
He was also well-known for writing xiaopin. These are short, informal essays.
His Book on Living Well
Tu Long is most famous for his book about how to live a good life. It is called Kao Pan Yu Shi (Desultory Remarks on Furnishing the Abode of the Retired Scholar). This book was first published in 1606, after he had passed away.
Desultory Remarks has fifteen different sections, each about a different topic related to art and daily life:
- Calligraphy and books
- Rubbings (copies of old carvings or inscriptions)
- Paintings
- Paper
- Ink
- Brushes
- Inkstones (for grinding ink)
- Qin (zithers), which are musical instruments
- Incense
- Tea
- Potted plants
- Fish and birds
- Mountain studio (a quiet place to work)
- Necessities of life and dress
- Utensils of the studio (tools for writing and art)
Some experts believe that Tu Long's book gathered ideas from other books, like Gao Lian's Eight Treatises on the Nurturing of Life. However, Tu Long's book became very popular and was often mentioned by other writers. It was an important source for Wen Zhenheng's famous book, Treatise of Superfluous Things.
Images for kids
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Tu Long
