He claimed his original surname was Zhang, and changed his name after his death in Ming Dynasty. He called himself Master Lu 'an. Suzhou Wuxian was a famous writer and literary critic in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Jin Shengtan has few talents. After entering Qing Dynasty, he never intended to be an official. Comments on Shi Naian's Outlaws of the Marsh, Required Reading for Talented Persons, The West Chamber, The Sixth Talented Person's Book in Guanhuatang, etc. , is quite famous in the world.

In the eighteenth year of Shunzhi (166 1), the new county magistrate of Wuxian whipped the people for collecting tax arrears, which aroused the anger of Suzhou scholars. Jin Shengtan led scholars to gather in the Confucius Temple to mourn the death of the emperor shunzhi, and took the opportunity to vent their accumulated anger. The Qing Dynasty deliberately shocked the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, arrested seven gentry, including Jin Shengtan, and then sentenced them to beheading for treason, and put them to death on July 13, which was a case of weeping temples.

Personality-related evaluation

Jin Shengtan's literary criticism has strong personality and subjectivity. He emphasizes the inner spirit of literary works and the author's creative intention, rather than just paying attention to the superficial form and skills of works. He believes that an excellent literary work should have profound ideological connotation and sincere emotional expression, rather than empty form and flashy rhetoric.

In literary criticism, Jin Shengtan often emphasizes the concept of "literature carries Tao" and thinks that literary works should carry certain moral concepts and social responsibilities. He criticized some flashy and empty works in the literary world at that time, thinking that these works lacked intrinsic value and significance and could not bring real enlightenment and lessons to readers.

At the same time, Jin Shengtan also attaches great importance to the language expression and rhetorical skills of literary works. He believes that a good literary work should reach a superb level in language expression and rhetoric application, so that readers can appreciate the charm and beauty of language while enjoying the work.