Abstract:

Teasing "the extraordinary out of the ordinary" is a prevailing aesthetic taste in the late Ming dynasty, initiated by Li Zhi in the intellectual field and proliferated into the creative writing of novels and plays. This research delineates the development of this ideal in the Late Ming dynasty, and explains the reasons for the ideal from three aspects: zeitgeist, partisan contestation and literary claims. It hopes to explore the cultural implications and values with reference to the historical context.

Key words: Late Ming, The Extraordinary out of the Ordinary, contribution factors, Li Zhi, Ling Mengchu