Abstract

Moment in Peking elaborately portrays the sorrows and joys of three large families in late 20th century when China experiences extensive and profound social changes in political and cultural fields. Lin Yutang, as a pivot of merged culture from East and West, introduces Chinese ancient philosophy to westerners with classic novels. In Moment in Peking, he explains Taoism and its power. Taoists uphold the views of cycle through pondering in a dialectical method over living and death. Taoism, full of mysteries and subtlety, embodies adequately in the main characters, especially Yao Mulan and Yao Sian. This thesis talks about the laws of universe, maternity, the beauty of delicacy and softness in female, elaborating Taoist philosophy mainly from the perspective of author’s view on death and cycle, the aesthetics of female delicacy and Taoist values featured in the main characters of the novel to point out Taoism could save people’s spirit at turbulent times and the essence of Taoism could also be an antidote to people’s predicaments in modern society.