Li Zhi
Ming Dynasty iconoclast philosopher who challenged Confucian orthodoxy
Li Zhi (1527–1602), also known as Li Zhuowu, was a radical Ming Dynasty thinker whose anti-conformist writings shook China's intellectual world. Unlike contemporaries who revered Confucian traditions, Li openly criticized the 'blind worship' of Confucius in his controversial book 《A Book to Burn》.
He advocated for individual self-expression and emotional authenticity, arguing that
'All human beings are born with childlike innocence'in direct opposition to rigid social hierarchies. His establishment of the 'Society of the Crazy Buddha' attracted persecuted scholars and free thinkers, creating China's first recorded intellectual counterculture movement.
Persecuted for heresy, Li ultimately committed suicide in prison - but his ideas about ethical individualism influenced later generations of Chinese reformers. Modern scholars recognize him as the first Chinese advocate of cultural pluralism 300 years before Western Enlightenment thinkers.
Literary Appearances
Cinematic Appearances
No cinematic records found