Midterm Paper Topic: Lin YuTang (林語堂), for 謝老師 Calligraphy

Preface

Last summer, my dad, while lecturing me on life, suggested that I read Lin YuTang's
My Country and My People. At first, I balked at this idea (as I did to many of his ideas, I
must admit). Having been born and raised almost entirely in America, my Chinese reading
skills were poor, to say the least. But, he reassured me that the book, although bearing a
Chinese author's name, was written in English. I waved the thought aside, for I felt I had
better things to spend with my time.
Returning to the JHU campus, I found myself in the library one day. Since I was
there already, I decided to look up this mysterious book. There it was, at the bottom of the
shelf on D-Level. Its worn, green, cloth covers proclaimed it had undergone book repair in
prior years, but the text was still securely intact. "My Country and My People," it said in gold
lettering on the spine. It was within these covers that I was first introduced to Dr. Lin
YuTang's work.
Though the book was written in 1935, and originally intended for Westerners, I
found the material quite applicable to one as myself. As an American-Born Chinese, I find
myself so far away from the Chinese culture of generations past. And yet, I am inexplicably
tied to this unfamiliar culture by my bloodlines. Reading about the Chinese character and
the Chinese lifestyle, through the unwavering and perceptive eyes of Dr. Lin YuTang, not
only drew me closer to my ancestral history, but also helped me understand my parents
better. So this was the culture Mom and Dad grew up with! I suppose my newfound
insights fueled an improved sense of filial piety, for I seemed to get along with them better
after reading this book.
Which brings me to this paper for Calligraphy class. Initially, I had planned to write
a quick biography of Dr. Lin YuTang, and then spend the rest of this essay discussing a
select few of his works, such as My Country and My People, Between Tears and Laughter,
The Pleasures of a Nonconformist, etc. These were some of the dozen or so books I
managed to scrounge up in our humble little college library.
There was also one other book, titled 林語堂傳, written by Dr. Lin YuTang's
daughter Anor Lin. "What a great find!" I thought. Unfortunately, Mrs. Anor Lin authored
the book entirely in Chinese. Since my reading skills, as I mentioned before, are less than
fluent, I didn't think this book would be much use to me. However, as I began researching
and writing, I continually referenced this book again and again. The value of firsthand
accounts appealed greatly to me, and I was enthralled to find out so much about Dr. Lin
YuTang's struggles and obstacles he faced growing up. About two pages down, I realized I
had enough material to write 10, if not 20 or 30 pages just on Dr. Lin YuTang himself. For
this paper, I have written a condensed biography of his life up to the time of his first book,
as it happens to be the one that influenced my own life, My Country and My People. I hope
to continue this exposition in the final class paper.
Due to the difficulties I faced reading in Chinese, I spent several hours a day going
through just one chapter of 林語堂傳. This is one of the reasons the paper has taken such a
long time to finish. The other reason is my personal standards for thoroughness and
attention to detail. I hope it amounts to a good read.
Eugene Wu 吳至鈞
March 2006
 CHILDHOOD

Aboard a small raft, among a throng of passengers, two young brothers tussle with
each other, laughing merrily. The raft meanders down a shallow stream, winding its way
between the opposite banks. The stream is shallow, sometimes so shallow that the raft
captain and his passengers must alight and carry it upon their shoulders. The children,
excused from the adult task, clap and splash joyfully along, especially the younger brother.
He is nine years old, and for the first time, he is leaving his cloistered little town in the
mountains and trekking with his older brother to Xiamen to attend primary school there.
The older brother is HeQing (和清), and the younger brother is HeLe (和樂), who is to
become the scholar, author, philosopher, translator, world traveler, and poet Lin YuTang (林
語堂).

Lin YuTang was born on October 10, 1895, in ZhangZhou

(龍溪（漳州）縣) of Fujian Province (福建省). His father, Lin
ZhiCheng (林至誠) was a Christian minister. Together with his wife
Yang ShunMing (楊順命), they had eight children. Lin YuTang
numbered the fifth son. ZhiCheng had led his entire life as a farmer
and entered seminary at the age of 24. Returning to the fields of his
home, ZhiCheng continued to practice his beliefs. Under the
influence of Reverend W.L. Warnshius, he obtained a subscription to
a newsletter called Christian Intelligence, which kept him informed
about the rest of the world. Often sharing the news stories with his
Above, Lin YuTang
children, ZhiCheng read about the work going on at famous as a boy. Below,
universities and hoped his sons would one day attend an eminent his childhood home.
university somewhere in the Western world. This first step,
sending his boys to primary school in Xiamen, was made possible
because the school was organized by Christian missionaries, who
offered free education.

At the Xiamen primary school, Lin YuTang found the

schoolwork easy and busied himself with kicking shuttlecocks and
playing soccer. Although he had also attended the local missionary
school back in his village, his education at Xiamen was the first to
expose him to true Western culture. Though the schoolwork
wasn't particularly challenging, Lin YuTang was constantly reminded by his father and his
siblings of the seriousness of his academic endeavor. The family slogan might well have
been「讀書成名」. Under this urging, he earned an admission to St. John's University in
Shanghai (聖約翰大學) at the age of 15. Like many short-sighted youth, Lin YuTang was
reluctant to go. Instead, he wished to stay with his family. Not to see this opportunity fly by,
his older sister MeiGong (美宮) stepped in and then said: 「我們是窮人家，二姐只有這
四角錢給你．你不要糟蹋上大學的機會．我因為是女的，所以沒有這種福氣．你要
立定決心，做個好人，做個有用的人，好好的用功讀書，因為你必得成名．你從上
海回家時，再來看我．」These simple but heartfelt words moved young Lin YuTang.
He took it upon himself to achieve academic progress for his family, for his 二姐 MeiGong.

1903 Lin family portrait. 8 year old Lin
YuTang stands third from the left, his
sister MeiGong second from the right.
Returning for summer vacation the following year, he
visited MeiGong in her new town, for she had gotten
married. MeiGong asked endless questions about his
life in Shanghai and his studies, but they quickly parted
as Lin YuTang continued on the rest of his journey
home. Sadly, that autumn, MeiGong fell deathly ill and
parted from the world, carrying her seven-month-old
unborn child with her. Lin YuTang overcame the
unbearable sadness with a new determination to fulfill
his sister's hopes. Thereafter, regardless of time or age,
the very mention of 二姐的四角錢 would push Lin
YuTang to tears.

COLLEGE AND LOVE

St. John's University in Shanghai was known for its excellent English curriculum.
Thus, the student body was diverse, ranging from small towners like Lin YuTang to other
children of more eminent parents, walking and chortling around in Western suits. Most
students came here for two reasons: to make rich friends, or to help Shanghai in foreign
trading and business. To Lin YuTang, however, his goal was clear--to pursue education.

Upon entering the school, Lin YuTang changed his name from the childhood name
和樂 to 玉堂. Again, much like in Xiamen primary school, he found the studies quite easy,
and often took to furtively reading his own books during class. His method for learning
English was simple. Using a dictionary, he studied one word at a time, examining the
definition and the use of the word in context. His self-discipline required him to fully
understand the usage of every word before he could move on to the next. Pronunciation, he
also figured, was no problem once one recognized the correct syllable on which to place the
vocal stress. In this manner, he mused, 「把英文差不多學通了」.

The library of St. John's University carried over 5000 books. Lin YuTang read them
all, and complained the library was too small, 「不過癮」. He sought answers to his
questions about life, and when he did not find answers in one book, he went on to the next.
Initially, Lin YuTang entered the university to study in preparation of pastorhood, to
continue in the footsteps of his father. However, after a year of study, too many questions
about Christianity remained unanswered and unexplained. All the Scriptures told that Jesus
was born of the Virgin Mary, yet all educated people agreed that it was a physically
impossible act. And yet all believers were expected to believe this to receive baptism. And
furthermore, if God knows man is born with sin, why does He condemn man for his
sinfulness? Perhaps his change in beliefs and unresolved internal conflict was dourly
affected by his sister's untimely passing as well. Lin YuTang returned from summer vacation
an unbeliever and switched his major to Language Studies (文科).

Doing extraordinarily well in school, Lin YuTang had little to worry about at this
point in his life. But a big change was about to take place. One day, a fellow Xiamen
classmate brought his little sister along to meet Lin YuTang. Her name was Chen JinDuan
(陳錦端), and she went to the nearby St. Mary's (聖瑪麗女校), an all-girls school. At the
time, there was little chance for the boys to meet the girls, as they attended different schools
and different churches, but since JinDuan, her brothers, and Lin YuTang were all from
Xiamen, it was natural for them to spend time all together.

Lin YuTang fell in love with JinDuan at first sight. She aspired in art, he in
literature--it seemed a perfect match. During that year, their love for each other grew as they
spent time walking in the park and watching movies together. But it was not to be. Upon
summer, Lin YuTang feverishly visited the Chen household in Xiamen, yearning for a
glimpse of JinDuan. She had hidden herself in her room. Her father (陳天恩醫師),
knowing the boy's intentions, as well as his departure from Christianity the years prior (for
the Chen household was deeply religious), saw Lin YuTang as an intelligent but wayward
young man. Not to mention the fact that the Chen family was quite well-to-do, while the Lin
family essentially consisted of farmers. Dr. Chen wanted his daughter to marry well, and Lin
YuTang was no match. Instead, Dr. Chen cleverly proposed to introduce Lin YuTang to a
daughter of his neighbor's friend. Her name was TsuiFeng (翠鳳).

Denied his true love, Lin YuTang fell into despair. Amidst the uncontainable
disappointment, he offhandedly agreed to the matchmaking and subsequent engagement
with TsuiFeng. In his heart, though, he never forgot JinDuan. Even in his later years, his
eyes would light up at the news of JinDuan being in town, and he would merrily prepare to
receive her at his home, bubbling with excitement like a mere child.

Graduating as salutatorian of St. John's University in 1916, Lin YuTang shucked

conventional customs and put off marriage. He had no love for TsuiFeng. Instead, on
hearing word of scholarship opportunities to America through QingHua University (清華大
學), Lin YuTang followed the recommendation of his principal and headed north to Beijing,
intent on pursuing an education in the States.

TEACHING IN BEIJING

Beijing was not just the political or educational capital of China. It was also a
cultural capital, and it enveloped its visitors with cultural icons of hundreds and thousands
years past. In this way, Beijing besieged Lin YuTang's understanding and knowledge of his
own culture. Having given up the calligraphy brush in favor of the fountain pen for English
writing at St. John's, Lin YuTang came to realize at Beijing his complete ignorance of
Chinese cultural history (not to mention his now horrible calligraphy). He eagerly picked up
every book he could get his hands on to learn more. However, too ashamed of his
ignorance to ask for guidance, he ended up just pawing through mounds of books by himself.
He still had his pride to maintain.

Besides, he was here to teach, and he couldn't lose face in front of students.
QingHua University offered a program where scholars could come teach for three years, at
the end of which they were awarded a scholarship to an American university to continue
studies at the third or fourth-year levels. Lin YuTang continued to study language while at
QingHua. However, he faced a growing frustration with they way Chinese dictionaries were
currently organized. Delving deeper into possible solutions, he published his first-ever
Chinese-written article, <漢字索引制說明>, in
called for linguistic reform of the classification
attention of the university president himself.
committee on the reorganization of the Chinese
member.
the local student magazine. The article
of Chinese characters, and caught the
Soon, funds were appropriated for a
language, with Lin YuTang serving as a

Lin YuTang also pushed for expressionism and realism in Chinese writing, favoring
the everyday vernacular (白話) over the old, formal way of writing (文言文). Lin YuTang
was not alone in this endeavor, for many students at the time also agreed with the new
paradigm shift. Much tumult followed the numerous student revolutions, but Lin YuTang
would not be there to see the results of student efforts. In 1919, he finished the three years
of teaching service. Much to his dismay, however, the school only awarded him a half-
scholarship. Determined to continue his education, he applied for study in Comparative
Literature (比較文學) at Harvard University (哈佛大學). Harvard accepted.

Back at home, TsuiFeng had been waiting. Lin YuTang had put off marriage for
four years now, claiming his studies in the north would keep him busy and unable to tend to
a family. But now, with his imminent leave of the country, there was no telling when he
would return, if at all. It was time. Lin YuTang and TsuiFeng married on July 9, in the
summer of 1919. Together, they headed off to America.

EDUCATION IN AMERICA AND OVERSEAS

Aboard the Colombia Steamboat, just one month after the wedding, TsuiFeng came
down with appendicitis. There were no doctors on board, much less any medical
implements. TsuiFeng suffered in her room, Lin YuTang by her side. The other passengers,
knowing it was their honeymoon, misinterpreted and made fun of the constant confinement,
unaware of their pain. Should they stop at Hawaii, Lin YuTang wondered? The half-
scholarship wasn't much, and Lin YuTang didn't have much money of his own, but if need
be, they decided medical treatment would be necessary. Thankfully, the pain subsided.

Finally arriving in Boston, they rented two rooms on Mt.

Auburn Street, sharing a kitchen with the landlady and two other
tenants. TsuiFeng did all the grocery shopping, cooking, laundry,
and cleaning herself, determined to hold a tight purse on their
living expenses. Unfortunately, her appendicitis returned. This
time, there was no avoiding the costly surgery.

At the hospital, Lin YuTang soothed TsuiFeng, assuring

her it was a simple and quick procedure. So confident was he in
this fact, that he studied Anglo-Saxon grammar while waiting.
Only three hours later did he realize that TsuiFeng was still in the
operating room. Apparently, the doctor had never operated on an
Asian woman before, and took his time in poking around her
inner cavities before completing the surgery. After this, TsuiFeng
Lin YuTang and TsuiFeng in contracted an internal infection. She returned to the hospital to
Boston, 1919. undergo surgery again, and had to stay in the hospital for a while.
Now all of their money was indebted toward medical expenses. Lin YuTang telephoned
TsuiFeng's brother for money. For a week until the money arrived, Lin YuTang lived on
Quaker Rice Cakes. When TsuiFeng was finally released from the hospital, it was February.
A soft blanket of snow quietly covered the ground. Lin YuTang pulled TsuiFeng home on a
sled. From after the hospital experience, their intimacy grew, and Lin YuTang could study
with his mind at ease.

To many of us, Harvard is the epitome of academia in business, law, social sciences,
and reputation. But to Lin YuTang, Harvard was really just one thing--the Widener Library,
where millions upon millions of books waited for him. This was his scholastic heaven, and
he spent every waking moment of his life engorged in the books. His professors included
Bliss Perry, Irving Babbitt, Von Jagerman, among others. Bliss Perry once praised Lin
YuTang for his paper, "The Change in Vocabulary in the Critical Essay", saying it was
tantamount to a Masters' thesis. Lin YuTang actively spent all his time reading, thinking
aloud, questioning the ideas in books and reflecting on his thoughts. Needless to say, he
brought his work home with him, and often read himself to tears or laughter. Though he
would sometimes read such a passage to TsuiFeng, she would rarely understand its
implications, and simply emulated his reaction.

They were like polar opposites, married by the forces of fate and fathers. He liked
exercise, she liked quiescence. He liked pork, she liked fish. He liked talking, she kept to
herself. They were like strangers getting to know each other for the first time. But TsuiFeng
felt safe with Lin YuTang, especially during the cold nights, when they huddled together for
warmth amidst the harsh Boston winters. Sometimes, she would find him sitting with his
pipe, just staring out the window at night, coming to bed only at 1 or 2 am. Other than that,
though, he was always healthy in body, mind, and spirit, and they only argued if she bothered
his reading.

Lin YuTang had not been at Harvard for even a year when his half-scholarship was
mysteriously cancelled. QingHua University offered no explanation. Only some time
afterwards did the couple find out that one of the fellow scholarship recipients had lost a
fortune in the stock market and committed suicide. Whether this had anything to do with
the scholarship cancellation, they never found out. In any case, they were now in desperate
need of cash. Before he had left China, Lin YuTang had agreed with Peking National
University (北京大學) to take a professorship there upon his return. He now beseeched the
school, through his QingHua colleague HuShi (胡適), to send him $1000 U.S. dollars to
cover living expenses. While he waited for their response, Lin YuTang brought food to the
table by submitting to a monthly literary competition. He won three times in a row, earning
$25 each time. Afterwards, too embarrassed to continue, he stopped.

While his grades at Harvard his first year were nothing less than spectacular (he
earned straight A's in all his classes), Lin YuTang had no financial aid to help him continue
his studies. Unable to enroll again, he applied for work with the Young Men's Christian
Academy (YMCA, 基督教青年會), to help teach Chinese laborers in France to read and
write. The Chinese laborers had originally been sent there during the First World War to
help bury the dead. YMCA accepted his application, and paid for Lin YuTang and
TsuiFeng's travel expenses. Off they went to Le Creusot (樂魁素), France.
 Though the work with YMCA was satisfying to some spiritual extent, Lin YuTang
wanted to continue his academic studies. Due to the deflation of the German mark, they
opted to move to Germany, taking advantage of a lower cost-of-living. Lin YuTang applied
and was accepted at the University of Jena (耶那大學) in Germany. He sent a letter back to
his academic advisor in Harvard, asking permission to substitute courses at Jena to finish his
Master's degree. His advisor wrote back with an OK, but also encouraged Lin YuTang to
further his education and pursue a doctorate.

In 1922, Lin YuTang finally

completed his Master's degree in
Comparative Literature from Harvard. Not
satisfied, he pursued a doctorate at Leipzig
University (萊比錫大學), focusing now on
Chinese Language (中國音韻學). Leipzig
University was known as a top university in
language studies. Lin YuTang wrote back
home to tell his father, knowing he would
be happy to hear the news. Despite his
academic achievement, however, Lin 1923, classmates and friends at Leipzig. Lin YuTang
YuTang struggled to pay bills. He had to top row second from right, TsuiFeng bottom far right.
ask for another $1000 from Peking National
University. To help support him, TsuiFeng had to sell her precious jade jewelry too, given
to her as gifts on her wedding day. Sadly, Westerners were unable to appreciate jade, and the
jewelry fetched low prices on the market. Lin YuTang tried comforting TsuiFeng,「鳳，等
我賺了錢，買還給你．」

After three years, TsuiFeng finally conceived. Wanting to raise their child in China,
this forced Lin YuTang to hurry up and finish his doctorate degree. His doctoral thesis was
"Altchinesiche Lautlehre" <古代中國語音學>. Lin YuTang was so confident in himself
that he arranged to leave the night of his doctoral oral examination. After a full morning of
running from one professor's office to the next, Lin YuTang ran home to find TsuiFeng
already waiting for him at the door.
「怎麼樣？」 She asked.
「好了！」 And they kissed in the middle of the street, linked arms, and together
said goodbye to Germany.

RETURN TO BEIJING

Adet Lin (鳳如，後改名如斯) was born in Xiamen on May 6, 1923. TsuiFeng and
the baby stayed in Xiamen until autumn, when they rejoined Lin YuTang in Beijing. He had
begun a busy life in their absence. The first thing he did was pay a visit to the university
principal, thanking him for the $2000 forwarded to cover living expenses. To Lin YuTang's
surprise, the principal said, "什麼兩千塊錢？" Unbeknownst to Lin YuTang, it was his
dear friend HuShi who had squeezed the money out of his own pocket to help him. HuShi
himself had been busy in the literary circle in China. He had started, carried, and indeed, was
now a central figure in the new literary movement for the vernacular (白話). HuShi even
held meetings at his house.

After Lin YuTang settled in as professor of English Philology at Peking National, he

also started meeting with other like-minded individuals, at Beijing Central Park (中央公園).
They discussed anything and everything, and eventually started a magazine to vent their
opinions, entitled Yu Ssu (語絲). At this time, Lin YuTang changed his name to 語堂, as
we now know him. He wrote many essays, mostly criticizing the inefficient and corrupt
Chinese government of the time. The Chinese government was undergoing treacherous
changes, and it was not a good time to be in Beijing, much less be writing rebellious essays
about the government! Amidst the student riots, TsuiFeng grew increasingly worried about
her husband's safety and, it seemed to her, his obstinate stupidity in continuing to write
inflammatory articles.

At 8 am on March 18, Lin YuTang received a call from a female student, Liu
HeZhen (劉和珍). There was a demonstration going on at Tiananmen Square (天安門)
that day, and as a student representative, she was asking for class to be cancelled. Lin
YuTang thought there should be no hazard, and agreed, telling her to give earlier notice next
time. At 2 pm that afternoon, Lin YuTang arrived at the school meeting to hear that Liu
HeZhen was dead. Apparently, some two hundred students had been massacred.

Then, on April 20, General "Dog-Meat" Zhang ZongChang (狗肉將軍張宗昌)

took the helm of the government. A list was posted, of dissenters, and Lin YuTang's name
was on that list. The military took two people on that list and shot them that night. It was
time to leave Beijing. Together with their newborn daughter Anor (玉如，後改名無雙，
再改為太乙), the Lin family escaped to Xiamen.

LITERARY CULTIVATION

Through a doctor friend in Beijing, Lin YuTang landed a position at National Amoy
University (廈門大學) as Dean of College of Arts (文科主任). Many other intellectuals,
escaping from Beijing, had followed him here as well. The program quickly flourished, but
after repeated problems with a co-worker, Lin YuTang left the school. It was now spring of
1927, and Lin YuTang headed into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Wuhan
Revolutionary Government of China to work as a secretary (武漢國民政府外交部英文秘
書). In addition to working alongside a former Beijing colleague, the work was exciting and
spirited. But Lin YuTang would not stay very long. Just a couple months after his arrival,
the Wuhan government began to split. Lin YuTang left to Shanghai.

In Shanghai, another former colleague pulled him into being a research fellow in
English for the newly established Academia Sinica (國立中央研究院). The title was
superficial, and Lin YuTang found himself with a small office and lots of free time. He
began writing a column for The China Critic Weekly, a newsletter focusing on social and
political issues, and written entirely in English. His column, titled "The Little Critic", drew
great interest and was so popular that it was later compiled and republished in two volumes.
 Lin YuTang also composed an English textbook,
aimed at secondary school students. Published as <開明
英文讀本>, it was wildly successful and became the top
seller for English students all over China. Shanghai's
DongWu University (東吳大 學) invited him to be an
English professor. It was here at DongWu that Lin
YuTang met Hsu ZhiMo ( 徐 志 摩), a man much like
himself. Lin YuTang greatly admired his literary talents.

Besides writing articles, Lin YuTang also spent

much of his time researching possible improvements to
Chinese typewriters. Typing in Chinese was not easy.
Chinese characters involve thousands of stroke
combinations, whereas in English, there are only 26 basic
characters. Given the lack of a Chinese alphabet, typing in
Chinese at the time required hand-selecting a character
from some 2500 keys. Lin YuTang knew he must first
invent a proper way to classify all the different Chinese
characters. Over several years, he came up with several
Lin YuTang in Shanghai, 1930s.
different methods. In 1931, as a representative of
Academia Sinica, Lin YuTang attended a conference overseas (國際聯盟文化合作委員會).
On the way back, he stopped at England to enlist an engineer in helping him build a
prototype Chinese typewriter. He stayed for several months.

The year before, in 1930, TsuiFeng had their third daughter, HsiangRu (相如).
While Lin YuTang was away, the Japanese attacked China. Anor, their second daughter,
recalls,「我記得母親叫我們不要換睡衣，和服睡在樓下，以便隨時逃走．我只有五
歲，覺得睡在地上很好玩．」 Soon they were bailed
out of Shanghai by a relative, and sailed back to Xiamen.
Lin YuTang returned home from England, with just three
cents in his pocket. All his savings had been funneled
into the typewriter, and yet it was not enough. He
brought back the unfinished prototype. There was still
much work to do. Indeed, for the rest of his life, Lin
YuTang would pour his efforts into realizing this
mechanical dream.

Returning to Shanghai, Lin YuTang had many

1931 family portrait. From left,
HsiangRu, Anor, Adet.
things to keep himself busy. He continued to write, and
in 1932, started his own periodicals, the Analects Fortnightly
(論語), to promote humor (幽默), and This Human World
(人間世), to encourage the human spirit (性靈). He said,
「提倡幽默必先解放性靈；蓋卻由性靈解放，漸再
參通義理，而幽默自然孕毓也．」 Analects was an
instant success, reaping a readership unlike any before,
and Lin YuTang's humorous articles garnered him the
 title 「 幽 默 大 師 」 . This all happened amidst
severe political and social unrest in China. Lin
YuTang himself admits,「我在文學上的成功和發
展我自己的風格完全是國民黨之賜，如果我們
的民權不被取締和限制，恐怕我永不能成為一
個文學家...」 Had there not been such official
oppression, Lin YuTang might never had anything
to speak against so vehemently. In many ways, the
environment in which he lived forced him to adopt
the critical literary practice termed 「諷刺文學」.
The three periodicals headed by Lin YuTang:
Analects, Cosmic Wind, and This Human
World. Cosmic Wind started in 1935 after
Despite the very real dangers of writing so
This Human World stopped circulating. freely, Lin YuTang continued to express his
individual opinions on nearly every matter of
popular discourse. In addition to his magazines, he continued to write for The China Critic
Weekly. His column caught the attention of Pearl S. Buck (賽珍珠), a West Virginia-born
American author whose parents raised her solely in China. She had written her first novel
East Wind, West Wind in 1930, and followed it with her best-known work The Good Earth
in 1931. While Pearl was staying in Nanjing, she often read Lin YuTang's column, and was
impressed by his energy and fresh spirit in writing. She wanted to know, "Who is this man
Lin YuTang?" In 1933, Lin YuTang invited Pearl to his home as a dinner guest. The
conversation touched on foreign authors writing about China. At this, Lin YuTang mulled,
"I would actually much like to write a book about China, expressing my true
thoughts."
"Why don't you?" Pearl warmly urged. "You could definitely do it. I've wished for
so long to read a Chinese-authored book on China."

MY COUNTRY AND MY PEOPLE

Encouraged by Pearl, Lin YuTang began writing his book in 1934. It took him 10
months to finish, amidst keeping up his regular publications. With the help of Pearl's suitor
and publisher Richard Walsh, who owned the John Day Company, Lin YuTang made his
debut in 1935. Titled My Country and My People (吾國吾民), his first book elucidated the
true nature of Chinese culture and Chinese character to Western readers. Being the first of
its kind, in terms of authenticity in Chinese roots, the book catapulted to the top of the New
York Times bestseller list. If Lin YuTang wasn't a household name before, it certainly was
now, and not only in China, but all over the world, for the book was translated and
republished in many languages. Sadly, in the Chinese version of the book that came out one
year later, many of Lin YuTang's whimsical charms were lost in translation. Though the
book fed a voracious Chinese audience, it also created and sparked a minority dissent. Due
to its objective and sometimes critical look at the Chinese, My Country and My People was
occasionally thrown around as「賣 Country and 賣 People」, reflecting the image of Lin
YuTang as a sell-out.
 Regardless, Lin YuTang's first book rocketed him into the upper realms of success.
He received praise from all over China, and indeed, all over the world. The New York
Times' R. E. Kennedy remarked,

"Reading Mr. Lin's book is a tremendous experience, and one feels

deeply grateful for the enlightenment derived from it. No one but a
Chinese could have given such an honest, faithful, unprejudiced account
of the people."

Additionally, Nathaniel Peffer of the Saturday Review of Literature wrote,

"Mr. Lin has lived in Europe and America and measured the ways
of the West with a critical eye. He is widely read in Western literature,
has an impressive erudition, and has not only 'learned' Western culture
but understands it. Withal he has the mellowness, the wisdom, and the
humor of his race... His book is therefore the best that has been written on
China in English, and I recommend it to all those who want a true and
sensitively perceived picture of China."

And in the introduction to the book, Lin YuTang's dear friend Pearl S. Buck herself writes,

"It is truthful and not ashamed of the truth: it is written proudly

and humorously and with beauty, seriously and with gaiety, appreciative
and understanding of both old and new. It is, I think, the truest, the most
profound, the most complete, the most important book yet written about
China. And, best of all, it is written by a Chinese, a modern, whose roots
are firmly in the past, but whose rich flowering is in the present."

My Country and My People capped the end of Lin YuTang's youthful dabbling in
the literary arena, and prepared him for a maturity that would lead to dozens upon dozens of
books in the years to come. Truly, he would fulfill the childhood ambition,「讀書成名」.
 References
Note: I must credit Mrs. Anor Lin for a substantial amount of the material in this paper.
In fact, much of what I have written was directly translated from her Chinese text. In
addition, all the pictures I have used are scanned from her book as well.

林太乙 (Lin, Anor). <林語堂傳> (Lin YuTang Zhuan). 聯經出版事業公司, Taipei,

Taiwan, 1989.

"林語堂生平略影." The Lin Yutang House, <http://www.linyutang.org.tw/lin1.html>.

March 2006.

"生平年表." The Lin Yutang House, <http://www.linyutang.org.tw/lin2.html>. March

2006.

"作品年表." The Lin Yutang House, <http://www.linyutang.org.tw/lin4.html>. March

2006.

Lin, YuTang. My Country and My People. The John Day Company, New York, 1935.

"Lin Yutang." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2003.

"Lin Yutang." Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, Vol. 25. Thomson Gale, 2005.

"Lin Yutang." Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin_Yutang>. March 2006.