‘The three theses on the life of Lin Yutang were specific approaches: Lin’s daughter Anor (Tai-yi), in Chinese, from a filial biographical perspective; Diran Sohigian, in 1991 in English, from a historical and political perspective and Qian Jun, in 1996 in English, from historical and cross-cultural perspectives.’

However, Lin’s story makes an interesting topic from the perspective of ‘why’ he wrote what he did, when he did. In 2007 I undertook what I call ‘A Pilgrmage to Lin Yutang’ by visiting his birthplace, where he lived as an adult and where he is buried. His legacy is rising in China but tertiary students – if not secondary students – need to hear about his life and his work. My experience was that this is the generation that can benefit from Lin’s wit and humour in understanding Western culture.

Any one with any anecdotes or offerings of any kind that they would like to share can contact me through this site.

Yes, he is an interesting guy in that he had a series of reputations and roles. Critical journalist in China, not-very-good translator, writer of Chinese Chicken Soup books, linguist. I think he got hammered as “inauthentic” in part because he was a Christian, but also because he wrote stuff like the above, which Orientalizes China (which would have annoyed his Chinese contemporaries) and domesticates China for Westerners (which would turn off modern academics.) Of course today that fact that he was such a boundary-transgressing figure would interest a lot of people. He would make a good dissertation topic for somebody.

It’s true that when he came to the States in the 1930s, he couldn’t get (or didn’t want) a job in an American university and he supported himself by his writing. He wrote things that would sell to the American public. But that shouldn’t obscure the other accomplishments of a complex and capable person.