Tu Long 屠隆 (1577-1605)

Tu Long,Chinese 屠隆 . Ming Dynasty playwright and essayist. He was Born in 1577 AD in Yin county (now Yin county, in suburb of Ningpo city, Zhejiang). He died in 1605 AD

In 1577, Tu Long obtained the degree of jinshi. He later became the Chief Magistrate of Qinpu (now Qinpu county, Shanghai ). After he was libelled and quit his job, he concentrated on writing plays and essays. Tu Long rejected the adherance to strict ancient format, he advocated that a writer must write from his heart.

Tu Long's Works

• Drama: Tan Hua Ji, The Story of Udumbara
• Drama: Cai Hau Ji, A Tale of Colorful Feather(A play about Tang dynasty poet Li Bai 李白 )
• Poems: Bai Yu Ji, White Elm Collection.

Tu Long is best known internationally for his work on the art of living:

• 考槃余事 Kao Pan Yu Shi, Desultory Remarks on Furnishing the Abode of the Retired Scholar. 1590 AD

Reference

• Craig Clunas: Superfluous Things, Material Culture and Social Status in Early Modern China, University of Hawaii Press 2004, ISBN 0-8248-2820-8