Qin Yu

Qin Yu is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available; neither the dates of birth and death nor personal experience have been clearly recorded. Judging from the fifteen works held in the library, Qin Yu's writing centers on inspirational growth, self-cultivation and the popularization of traditional culture, while also touching on politics, social culture and biography. Representative works include Conscientious Ministers' Memorials and Petitions, What the Poor Are Poor In, Laozi Academy, Han Feizi Academy, Mencius Academy, Zhuangzi Academy, Xunzi Academy and Learning, Self-Cultivation and Character Building. Qin Yu is adept at organizing pre-Qin thinkers' ideas in an academy-style format, turning classic propositions of Daoism, Confucianism and Legalism into accessible primers, while also attending to ordinary people's circumstances and mental adjustment. The writing is plain and fluent, emphasizing practicality and readability, and has found a readership among introductory works on traditional culture and self-improvement.