Abstract: The 104-year-old Xu Zhongyu, whose academic career of over sixty years has been in tandem with the development of the PRC, has established his distinct style in the theoretical studies of literature and art, namely the combination of theory and practice, of the ancient and the modern, and of inheritance and innovation. His original achievements include initiating the methodology of comprehensively collecting and categorically compiling the materials of ancient Chinese literary theory, raising a series of original and significant academic viewpoints on ancient Chinese literary theory, advocating an interdisciplinary research on the theories of literature and art, envisioning a modern system of literary and art theory in combination of multiple theoretical resources, and developing new theories based on inheriting ancient Chinese literary theory. As an academic master, he not only performed exemplary research but also provided new methodologies in guidance of further in-depth studies.

Key words: Xu Zhongyu, literary and art theories, research style, originality