Tu Long (;
Wade-Giles: T'u Lung, 1542–1605), was a
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just
Readin ...
and
essayist who lived during the
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
. He was born in Yin county (now Yin county, in suburb of
Ningbo city,
Zhejiang
)
, translit_lang1_type2 =
, translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese)
, image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg
, image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains
, image_map = Zhejiang i ...
).
In 1577, Tu Long obtained the degree of
jinshi. He later became the Chief
Magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...
of Qingpu (now Qingpu county,
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
). He lost his position as Secretary of the
Ministry of Rites after launching licentious parties with boy prostitutes; after that, he concentrated on writing plays and essays.
Tu Long rejected the adherence to strict ancient format, he advocated that a writer must write from his
heart
The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
.
He lived 62–63 years.
Works
* Drama: ''Tan Hua Ji'', ("The Story of Udumbara")
* Drama: ''Cai Hau Ji'', ("A Tale of Colorful Feather") about the Tang dynasty poet
Li Bai 李白
* Poems: ''Bai Yu Ji'', ("White Elm Collection")
He was a notable author of the ''
xiaopin'', a form of short literary essay.
[Mair 2001. "Introduction: The Origins and Impact of Literati Culture", paragraph 22.]
Tu Long is best known internationally for his work on the art of living:
Kao Pan Yu Shi, (考槃余事, "Desultory Remarks on Furnishing the Abode of the Retired Scholar"), first published in 1606. ''Desultory Remarks'' has fifteen treatises:
1. Calligraphy and books
2. Rubbings
3. Paintings
4. Paper
5. Ink
6. Brushes
7. Inkstones
8. ''Qin'' (" zithers")
9. Incense
10. Tea
11. Potted plants
12. Fish and birds
13. Mountain studio
14. Necessities of life and dress
15. Utensils of the studio
The art historian Craig Clunas suggests that the ''Desultory Remarks'' is essentially a compendium, gathered from other existing sources, such as
Gao Lian's ''Eight Treatises on the Nurturing of Life'', (for which Tu Long wrote a preface). Whether or not this is the case, Tu Long's discourses certainly had greater immediate recognition and influence; they were much more widely cited in later collections, and were a primary source for
Wen Zhenheng's
Treatise of Superfluous Things.
[Clunas is following the argument of Weng Tongwen, see ''Superfluous Things: Material Culture and Social Status in Early Modern China'', University of Hawaii Press 2004, , pp. 29-30.]
References
Bibliography
*
Mair, Victor H. (ed.) (2001). ''
The Columbia History of Chinese Literature''. New York: Columbia University Press. . (
Amazon Kindle edition.)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tu, Long
1542 births
1605 deaths
Writers from Ningbo
Chinese tea masters
16th-century Chinese LGBTQ people
Chinese LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights
16th-century Chinese dramatists and playwrights
17th-century Chinese dramatists and playwrights
16th-century theatre managers
17th-century theatre managers