Abstract: Why Mr.Shen abandoned literature for archaeology has become a hot topic in the study of Shen Congwen.In his life,Mr Shen took up writing for about 25 years and engaged in archaewlogy for 40 years.So when we study Shen Congwen,it is an inevitable problem about how to evaluate his late 40 years.This article holds that,apart from various political reasons,the reason why Mr.Shen changed his profession lies in his personal interest and his ideas on choosing profession“what others abandon,I'll take",and that we should give full understanding to his choice,therwise it would be difficult for us to evaluate his late 40 years' work and even his whole life.

Key words: Shen Congwen, change one's profession, archaeology