Proceedings of the 2025 5th International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2025)

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Exploring the Dilemma of Contemporary Intelligentsia Based on Lu Xun’s Literature: Taking Kong Yiji as an Example

Authors
Yuelei Li1, *
1School of Humanities and Foreign Languages, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, 266520, China
*Corresponding author. Email: wqhstksp@krae.edu.kg
Corresponding Author
Yuelei Li
Available Online 26 February 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_95How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Kong Yiji; Long Gown; Intelligentsia; Social Criticism
Abstract

Lu Xun’s Kong Yiji reveals the predicament faced by old-type literati after the abolition of the imperial examination system, resonating strongly with contemporary intelligentsia. Today, issues such as the devaluation of qualifications and employment difficulties have once again plunged intelligentsia into an identity crisis. This paper takes Kong Yiji as its starting point, employing textual analysis to systematically examine the complex interplay of Kong Yiji’s pedantry and kindness, the cultural symbolism of the “long gown” as a shackle of identity and spirit, the symbolic meaning of cultural decay, and Lu Xun’s critical ideas expressed in the text. By comparing the abolition of the imperial examination system in the late Qing Dynasty with the contemporary educational transformation, and tracing the symbolic evolution of the “long gown,” this paper reveals contemporary intelligentsia’ fixation on “respectable work.” It also critiques the ideological constraints of professional hierarchies and the persistent flaws of exam-oriented education. It also offers insights for addressing these issues from both individual and societal perspectives.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2025 5th International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2025)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
26 February 2026
ISBN
978-2-38476-541-6
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_95How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Yuelei Li
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/26
TI  - Exploring the Dilemma of Contemporary Intelligentsia Based on Lu Xun’s Literature: Taking Kong Yiji as an Example
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 5th International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 860
EP  - 868
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_95
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_95
ID  - Li2026
ER  -