Aesthetics and Philosophy of Life by Lin Yutang: Between Traditional Chinese and Modern Western Culture

Lin Yutang was one of the most influental and original Chinese intellectuals, philosophers and popularizers of Chinese culture in the United States. Some investigators treat his philosophy of life and aesthetics as an example of Chinese "leisure literature", which synthesizes the concepts of humour (youmo) as Lin's invented transliteration, leisure (xianshi) and self-expression (xingling). This article attempts to interpret his philosophy of life as an example of everyday aesthetics with the emphasis on the synthesis of traditional Chinese and modern Western philosophy. This interpretation reveals the cross-cultural sources of global everyday aesthetics (as it is viewed by its particular Chinese and Western advocators) and a particular place of Lin Yutang in its history. The analyses of his ideas about life and aesthetics is provided with the reference to his famous book "The Importance of Living", and concentrates on two topics or concepts - enjoyment (pleasure) and happiness as very important concepts in everyday aesthetics. This analysis uses comparative methodology by comparing Lin's statements with those of advocators of everyday aesthetics and addressing these statements with the main questions of this aesthetics, concerning percularity of aesthetic experience, object and value.