Abstract: Through an analysis of a large number of biographies of Lin Huiyin over the recent three decades, this paper identifies four major problems in current life writings of modern cultural figures in Mainland China. These problems can be grouped in two categories, namely the carelessness in the research of the existing materials and the failure to effectively borrow from the existing modern textual materials kept in Taiwan. What is most important is that there is the severe lack of academic rigor. The current utilitarianism, the trend of short-sightedness, and the insufficient academic training of practitioners accounts for the phenomenon. Though no specific solution is provided herein, the answer is explicit from the analysis of various forms of the decline.

Key words: biography, decline, Lin Huiyin, Jin Yuelin, FuSinian

Han Shishan (1947 - ), a historian, is the vice chairman of Shanxi Association of Writers. He served as editor-in-chief on Shanxi Literature. Some of his biographies include Li Jianwu: A Biography, Life of XuZhimoand Revisiting Lin Huiyin.