The Diversification Of Late Ming Literati Intellectual Interest

The thesis focuses on Wang Ken-tang in the late Ming Dynasty. He had been a Bureaucratic literati but resigned because of the political struggle in1592. After his resigning, he went back to his hometown Jintan, started his life on writing books at home, and had several works leaving behind now. However the theme of my thesis is not about his life or his scholarship. Comparing with his friend such as Jiao Hong, Dong Qi-chang, Wang Xi-jue and Tang Xian-zu, this man was neither a leader who stared the cultural trend, nor an important politician in Wanli period. But there is also something special and interesting in his life. Although he was unlucky as a Bureaucratic literati, he was lucky as a famous physician, with volumes, of medical books leaving behind. And he was also interested in law, writing a book on laws. So he had different indentities, he is a politician, a scholar, a physician, a jurisconsult and a lay Buddhist. But except the first two, all the identities are not a typical Confucian’s. In addition, he had a wide circle of acquaintances, beside of the four persons mentioned before, Yuan Hong-dao, Miu Xi-yong, Monk Daguan were all his friends, and he even had indirect contacts with Matteo Ricci. So actually the purpose of focusing on Wang Ken-tang as a clue character is discussing the diversification of the literati culture in the Late Ming Dynasty and the mentalities of the literati in the political situation of Wanli period by investigating in him and his acquaintanceship.