It's outrageous

Author: (Qing) Kong Kong Master
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-02-01
Features: A remarkable book that embodies the independent spirit of Chinese intellectuals. The author was designated as "heretical" and an "eye sore" by three generations of emperors, forcing him to flee for decades. A banned book decreed by the Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang emperors. Kong Kong Master, little is known about his life, roughly born in the mid-Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. His writing is fluent, experienced, and innovative; his unconventional language is astonishing, far from the ordinary. This person's writing is versatile and unpredictable; filled with madness, from emperors and generals to toilets, toothpicks, and back scratchers. Later, Kong Kong Master compiled these unique articles into a book, feeling sorrow for the world and realizing that what had been considered rational was no longer so. Thus, he named it "How Can This Be Reasonable?" This is a remarkable book frequently banned by the Qing court, a classic that embodies the independent spirit of Chinese intellectuals. The author adopts a satirical and mocking tone, viewing all authority with disdain, daring to question what others dare not, and discussing what the Han people dare not discuss. Often, his words are labeled as "treasonous." In the author's eyes, people (and ghosts) are equal in status, and things (and objects) are equally insignificant—everything is "how can this be reasonable?"