Tu Long


Tu Long, was a playwright and essayist who lived during the Ming Dynasty. He was born in Yin county.
In 1577, Tu Long obtained the degree of jinshi. He later became the Chief Magistrate of Qingpu. 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.
He lived 62–63 years.

Works

He was a notable author of the xiaopin, a form of short literary essay.
Tu Long is best known internationally for his work on the art of living: Kao Pan Yu Shi,, 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

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,. 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.