Approaching Lin Yutang, an 800-word essay on historical figures
I have known for a long time that my hometown of Zhangzhou produced a world cultural celebrity and literary master. His name is Lin Yutang. However, I have only read a few introductions and critical articles about Lin Yutang, and my understanding of Lin Yutang is limited to titles such as "literary", "translator" and "philosopher". What kind of person is he? What outstanding achievements has he achieved, and why does he have so many dazzling titles? I don't even understand. I have always been curious about Lin Yutang, a senior and fellow countryman.
It was the weekend, with clear skies and bright sunshine. I targeted the Lin Yutang Memorial Hall for my outing. Arriving at Wulisha Village, Tianbao Town, where the memorial hall is located, you can see the endless "sea of bananas" in front of you. Deep in the "sea of bananas", an exquisite semicircular two-story building is the Lin Yutang Memorial Hall. In front of the museum stands a seated statue of Lin Yutang, wearing a long gown and holding a pipe, with an elegant expression.
When entering the exhibition hall, the first thing you see is an introduction to Lin Yutang’s life. The lines show Lin Yutang’s journey from his hometown to the world. Lin Yutang was born in Zhangzhou in 1895. He studied in the United States and Germany, and taught at Peking University, Beijing Women's Normal University, Xiamen University, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He founded magazines such as The Analects of Confucius and Human World. He also served as Director of Fine Arts and Literature at UNESCO and President of Nanyang University in Singapore. Was elected as Vice President of PEN International. He advocated humorous literature, and his short comments and speeches often won applause from the audience because of their incisive language. He has written a large number of classics such as "Small Clouds of Beijing", "The Art of Living", "My Country", etc., and has translated many foreign works. Hundreds of volumes of Lin Yutang's works in various editions are displayed in the exhibition hall. Lin Yutang is good at writing in English, and at the same time he strives to promote the traditional Chinese culture to the world. As one of his friends said: "Lin Yutang's greatest strength is to teach Chinese culture to foreigners and foreign cultures to Chinese people." Westerners commented on him this way: "The wisdom of the East and the West come together in him..." Reading through Lin Yutang's works and reading Lin Yutang's quotations, I seem to understand but not understand, but I can already feel from it this man who "has both feet on the Eastern and Western cultures. The influence of the cultural master "who is dedicated to commenting on the universe articles" has had on Chinese culture and world culture, and we also know why he has so many titles.
After visiting the Lin Yutang Memorial Hall. Standing in front of the memorial hall, looking around, you are surrounded by banana trees, green waves are undulating, and bursts of banana fragrance are blowing in the wind. This beautiful scenery is like a landscape painting with suitable shades. "A place where water and soil nourish a person", it is this geomantic treasure land with outstanding people, and it is the mountains and rivers of this hometown that raised this generation of cultural masters. I am proud and proud that my hometown has such a cultural master!