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Being Mild and Gentle, Sincere and Broadminded 143

perspective of enlightenment thinking, Lu Xun bitterly criticized the traditional
literary theory represented by Confucianism for “containing writers’ emotions”
and made a fierce attack on the conservative and backward national aesthetic
psychology, while promoting the wildly progressive literary and aesthetic ideas
of Western poets such as Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), George Gordon
Byron (1788–1824), Heinrich Heine (1797–1856), and Petöfi Sándor (1823–1849).
Lu believed that only this kind of literature and art could break the stagnant state of
literature, promote humanistic spirit, forge a new national character, and express a
new aesthetic thought. Under the circumstances of his time, Lu Xun’s criticism was
understandable and had positive significance. However, it is not convincing for
him to blame all the conservatism and backwardness of traditional culture on the
concept of being mild and gentle, sincere and broadminded. Since the May Fourth
Movement, the conservative character of Chinese people has been caused not by
the concept of being mild and gentle, sincere and broadminded, but by the residual
poison of feudal autocracy, complacent isolationism, and blind xenophobia.
Meanwhile, we should be aware of existing social problems like extreme behaviors
caused by extreme psychological states. For this reason, it is necessary to teach
people to be mild and gentle, sincere and broadminded, and to reconstruct this
aesthetic psychology. We should take this effort as an important project for
reflecting on our traditional culture and new understanding of Confucianism.

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