Lin Yutang · The Art of Living

Author: Lin Yutang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: The Art of Living is the first book written by Lin Yutang after he dedicated himself to writing in the United States, and it was another successful English work following The Wisdom of China. Published in the United States in 1937, the book topped the U.S. bestseller list for 52 weeks the following year and was reprinted more than forty times. It has been translated into over ten languages. In the book, Lin Yutang discusses the indifference of Zhuangzi, praises the leisure of Tao Yuanming, recites the Return to Innocence, tells stories from the Bible, and explains how Chinese people enjoy tea, play drinking games, appreciate mountains, play in water, watch clouds, admire stones, cultivate flowers, keep birds, enjoy snow, listen to rain, sing in the wind, and play with the moon. Lin Yutang describes the open-minded and optimistic lifestyle of the Chinese, as well as their romantic and refined Eastern charm, to the Western world, presenting a model of a "high-life archetype" for them to emulate.