Abstract: Lu Xun's idea of fiction writing was deeply influenced by his conceptualization of the book A Brief History of Chinese Fiction. Lu Xun initially read fictions as a historical phenomenon while currying the ancient Chinese fictional writings, and his lectures on the topic showed that he intended to take the perspective of nationalist critique. These showed that Lu Xun's guiding idea for writing the history of Chinese fiction was the cultivation of integrate men. The literary idea of "writing for life" (as contrary to "writing for art") was reflected in Lu Xun's own fictional writings, and the idea behind the "Brief History" helped him to take the two perspectives of objective description and creative subject and his focus in writing was shifted from the deities to the common people and he gradually became a conscious fiction writer. The idea of "writing for life" became his criterion in judging the values of Chinese ancient novels, such as The Outlaws of the Marsh which Lu Xun believed to be a work about the ordinary people's life and mentality.

Key words: Lu Xun, A Brief History of Chinese Fiction, cultivation of integrate men, writing for life, ordinary people's life and mentality