Abstract: During the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties,the social status and self-awareness of the scholar community underwent a drastic change,and Song Lian was a key figure who was involved in it and promoted the trend.At the end of the Yuan dynasty,many scholar found themselves a place in the literati community due to the difficulties in their official career,and Song Lian also had a long experience of studying and writing ancient texts in his early years.But with a deep acceptance of Neo-Confucianism,Song Lian's self-perception shifted from being a scholar to a Confucian.He used the method of self-writing to promote his own transformation,propagated the identity ideals of Neo-Confucianism,and attempted to redefine the value of scholars.At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty,he eventually became the “Master of Confucianism”,who actively participated in the politics and education of the new dynasty,persuading scholars not to focus solely on rhetoric,but rather on theoretical and practical knowledge,and promoting a shift in the scholarly style of a generation.The reason why Song Lian was able to become the head of civil officials of the Ming dynasty,is based on his fundamental thinking and long-term practice on the proposition of scholar identity,which had changed the trend of academic history and led to the self-awareness and cultural responsibility of scholars after dynastic changes.

Key words: Song Lian, scholar identity, dynastic changes, self-writing, Neo-Confucianism