Leading Chinese writers and literature critics poured out their emotions over the death of Ba Jin.

Wang Meng, a famous writer and former minister of culture, likened Ba Jin's passing to the fall of a great star.

"He impressed me, as he always did, with his sincerity, dedication and passion," Wang said.

Ba Jin attached great importance to the role of literature in society, Wang said. His "Random Thoughts" has exerted influence not only on modern literature but on ethics as well.

Yu Hua, known for his novels such as "To Live," said "Family" was the first Ba Jin novel he read, and the story influenced him tremendously.

"In life, he was very gentle, but people can feel his strength and power from his works," Yu said. "It is really comforting that Ba Jin completed his life's novels before he left the world."

Wen Rumin, dean of the Department of Chinese at Peking University, said that Ba Jin's strong belief in life and ideals, his plain narrative style, his enthusiasm for writing and his strong sense of responsibility make him "an irreplaceable and unique writer in the Chinese history of literature."

Wen Jieruo, wife of the late Chinese writer Xiao Qian, said Ba Jin always told his friends that he was not a writer.

"To me, Ba Jin was not only a writer but also a social reformist, a thinker," Wen said. "He used his pen to express his frustration with society then and convey his fine idealism."

He Shaojun, a renowned literary critic and professor of literature at Shenyang Normal University, said Ba Jin's works were successful not only in terms of their social importance, but also literary significance.

"Ba Jin's grand status in the history of Chinese literature is widely recognized," Professor He said.

The May Fourth Movement, a political and cultural movement against imperialism and feudalism that broke out in Beijing in 1919, filled Ba Jin with democratic ideals.

The May Fourth Movement was one of the most creative and brilliant episodes in modern Chinese history. It was a time when China's thousands of years of Confucian tradition both clashed and mingled with Western influences, allowing the writers to create a literature of new values and consciousness for the Chinese people.

Throughout his lifetime, Ba Jin spared no efforts in carrying forward the May Fourth literary tradition. This has secured his status in contemporary Chinese literature, He said.

He lamented that the May Fourth tradition has not maintained its momentum in the latter decades of the past century. The tradition was betrayed and contorted during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

But Ba Jin has always been very sincere in his treatment of history and of himself, He observed. His stance has helped Chinese literature recover the lost May Fourth tradition.

Cao Wenxuan, also professor of Peking University, said: "Ba Jin's literary writing is very unique in modern Chinese literature, but we feel sorry that Ba Jin actually has no disciples to inherit his rare writing style after he passed away."

This is a very serious problem that needs to be deeply thought through, Cao pointed out.

If Ba Jin has no successors, Cao said, "his death means the end of his literary style."

For today's younger Chinese, the name of Ba Jin, who was born 101 years ago, is not as familiar as that of more contemporary writers.

Chinese literature has taken on a look completely different from what it used to be back in Ba Jin's time. This is quite normal, He said. Literature has various directions of development in different eras.

Ba Jin is representative of a bygone era. Today's writers, however, will not take the path he took. But something intrinsic about him will live on. For example, Ba Jin's earnestness can also be frequently found in the works of many contemporary writers, said He.