Abstract: Glimpse and sympathy are the unique reflections of Shen Congwen on tradition and modernity in a transforming society of the early 20th century.This paper illustrates this from three aspects:first,context ruptures and glance impulse;second,aesthetics construction and the idea of a cloud cuckoo land;and third,an elegy sensation and a feeling of last phase of an age.

Key words: Shen Congwen, modernity, aesthetic appreciation, glimpse, sympathy