Lin Shu 林紓 (1852–1924), or Lin Qinnan 林琴南

Lin was a renowned translator of Western fiction into classical Chinese, which he produced with the help of bilingual collaborators. Lin himself, however, valued his own achievements as a writer of classical prose much more highly than he did his translations. Born in Fujian, Lin obtained the juren degree in 1882. A staunch monarchist, he made eleven pilgrimages to the grave of the Qing Guangxu 光緒 Emperor (1871–1908). He was also a leading spokesman against the vernacular language (baihua 白話). Though he was often labelled a writer of the 'Tongcheng School’桐城派, the spontaneity and sense of humour in his writing show that in fact he had developed a style of his own.

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