It is said that "Thy Gay Genius" by Lin Yutang is a specific English biography aiming to introduce the life story and characters of Su Shi to Western readers/English readers. Although I have no chance to read it till now, anyone can guess from the book title that Su Shi must be an optimistic man. For those people in the west who have never heard of this name, maybe they can ask who Su Shi is! Ok, let me tell you, Su Shi is one of the most famous and influential poets in Chinese literature history.
Why do I refer to a poet who lived in Song dynasty suddenly？Here is how it started.
Yesterday I read a lovely funny little rhyme from our great Hive poet 
Below is it:
半醒半醉问诸黎，竹刺藤梢步步迷。
但寻牛矢觅归路，家在牛栏西复西。
Half drunk, half sober, after I pay a visit to the families of the four Lis,
Bamboo spikes and rattan creepers tangle before me.
I can but follow the way where cow turds are spread,
And find my house farther west of cattle shed.
Cowpat is the only way back home when poet was drunk. Here Li(s) is the name of a minority in South China. This poem was written when the poet was banished from the imperial city to the remote Hainan island(the southmost part of China) where Li nationality inhibated in his period.
At that time the living condition in Hainan island was unimaginably harsh and hot for common Chinese--Han nationality, not to mention this once honorable imperial official--our great poet Su Shi. However, not only did he not complain about the miserable living environment, but also he made the best thing, blending with the life of the local Li minority positively. The truth is he was completely lonely in this wild tropical island, living in a shabby mud room, having no family and other relatives except his youngest son beside him. What's more, he was regarded as a sinner under constant surveillance by his political opponents. Be that as it may, he could still find joy and happiness in a desperate situation by making friends with the 4 families of Li nationality and visited them as what he wrote in the poem. He even poked fun at himself by following the cowpats when he got lost!
The poet wrote 3 pieces of quatrains all together about his life in Hainan island in his later years. Please enjoy the second poem!
总角黎家三小童，
口吹葱叶送迎翁。
莫作天涯万里意，
溪边自有舞雩风
Three or four children of the Lis with their hair tressed, (st)
Blowing green onion pipes, welcome me the old guest. (st)
Do not seek happiness to the end of the earth!
By the side of the brook you’ll find genuine mirth.
(Or: Don't feel so distressed and aggrieved after being demoted to this remote and backward island; We can always get the genuine contentment in the nature even if by the side of a brook.)
Thanks to the outstanding translator Xu Yuan Chong whose English version in rhyme is so succinct and informative!
In this poem, Su Shi quoted a literary allusion from the Analects of Confucius--a holy book on Confucianism whose status in China is equal to the Bible in Christian world.
孔子的弟子曾点说过：暮春时节，与好友在沂水边沐浴，到舞雩台上迎风乘凉，然后唱着歌回家，是其人生的志向。曾点的这种人生态度得到孔子的赞许，苏轼加以引用，也抒发了诗人对这种闲适生活的向往。
source
A disciple of Confucius named Zeng Dian once said, In the late spring, having a bath together with some friends in Yi river(a river's name in Shandong province), then ascending the rain-praying platform for enjoying the cool and singing back home, was his ambition in life. Zeng's attitude towards life was appreciated by Confucius, and Su Shi quoted it to express the poet's yearning for such a leisurely life.
In Chinese culture and society, the traditional scholar-officials believe in 2 kinds of philosophical thoughts working alternatively. One is the positive mainstream ideology: Confucianism when they are in prosperity ; the other is Taoism born of the recluse when they are in adversity. Su Shi's life was the representative of these 2 interwined China's ideologies! It comes as no surprise that Mr. Lin Yutang adored him so much, singing praise of him as a "gay genius"! To this extent, we can say the Japanese Haiku poet Issa who wiped horse poop from his hand using a chrysanthemum is another Su Shi in Japanese version! They are both the real masters of finding beauty and happiness in suffering!
P.S.
Legend has it that the proverb ''Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" widely known as "the golden rule" was derived from a quote directly by Jesus in the Bible. What a coincidence! "己所不欲勿施于人" which was from Confucius himself according to the Analects of Confucius just has the same meaning as it!