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Why did Lu Ji emphasize originality in creative writing?

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Scene from Romance of the Three Kingdoms — Chinese literature *Zhang Fei on the Long Sloped Bridge Turning Away One Million Wei Troops with a Powerful Stare*, woodblock colour print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1884. It depicts a scene from the novel *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.

In the context of Chinese literature, it is important to clarify that while Lu Ji is celebrated for his influential work on literary criticism, his emphasis on originality was part of a broader cultural shift during the Six Dynasties period rather than an isolated rejection of tradition.1

Lu Ji emphasized originality in creative writing primarily to challenge and discredit the long-established practice of merely imitating the great masters of the past. As Confucianism began to yield to the influence of Daoism and Buddhism, writers of the era increasingly sought to cultivate an uninhibited individuality.1

In his celebrated essay, Wenfu (The Art of Writing), Lu Ji articulated this principle of creative independence. Interestingly, while he advocated for this departure from convention, he composed the Wenfu itself in the form of a fu—a traditional, intricately structured literary form—demonstrating that he remained deeply connected to the artistic practices of his own age.21