Gu Yanwu
The "Zhuangzi" retained prominence throughout Chinese history as the preeminent example of core Daoist philosophical ideals. The 17th century scholar Gu Yanwu lamented his government's flippant use of the "Zhuangzi" on the imperial examination essays as representative of a decline in traditional morals at the end of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). In the great Chinese novel "Dream of the Red Chamber" ("Hong lou meng" ), the main protagonist, Jia Baoyu, often turns to the "Zhuangzi" for comfort amidst his despair over conflicting love interests and relationships. The story of Zhuangzi drumming on a tub and singing after the death of his wife inspired an entire tradition of folk music called "funeral drumming" ("sàng-gǔ" ) in central China's Hubei and Hunan Provinces that survived into the 18th and 19th centuries.