▁that ▁Jin ▁was ▁possessed ▁by ▁a ▁spirit , ▁explaining ▁his ▁talent . ▁ ▁In ▁a ▁bi ography ▁of ▁Jin , ▁L iao ▁Yan ▁wrote ▁that ▁Jin ▁had ▁discovered ▁the ▁entire ▁secret ▁of ▁competition . ▁ ▁Some ▁contempor aries ▁and ▁later ▁writers ▁did ▁den ounce ▁Jin ▁on ▁moral ▁grounds . ▁▁ ▁Jin ' s ▁contemporary ▁K ui ▁Z hu ang ▁called ▁him ▁" gre edy , ▁per verse , ▁lic ent ious , ▁and ▁ecc ent ric ". ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁May ▁Four th ▁Mov ement ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 9 , ▁sch ol ars ▁such ▁as ▁Hu ▁Sh ih ▁began ▁to ▁advoc ate ▁the ▁writing ▁of ▁nov els ▁in ▁Vern ac ular ▁Chinese . ▁▁ ▁As ▁a ▁result , ▁Jin ▁gained ▁recognition ▁as ▁a ▁pione er ▁in ▁the ▁field ▁of ▁Chinese ▁popular ▁literature . ▁ ▁Hu ▁Sh ih ▁himself ▁pra ised ▁Jin ▁in ▁the ▁pre face ▁to ▁his ▁comment ary ▁on ▁the ▁Water ▁Mar gin , ▁saying , ▁" Sh eng - t ' an ' s ▁ability ▁to ▁debate ▁was ▁inv inci ble ; ▁his ▁pen ▁was ▁most ▁persu as ive . ▁ ▁During ▁his ▁time , ▁he ▁had ▁the ▁reputation ▁of ▁a ▁genius . ▁ ▁His ▁death ▁was ▁also ▁a ▁case ▁of ▁extreme ▁cruel ty , ▁which ▁shook ▁the ▁whole ▁country . ▁ ▁After ▁his ▁death , ▁his ▁reputation ▁became ▁even ▁greater ". ▁ ▁Li u ▁B ann ong , ▁another ▁scholar ▁of ▁the ▁era , ▁also ▁pra ised ▁Jin ' s ▁version ▁of ▁Water ▁Mar gin ▁as ▁the ▁best