296 years ago today, on January 22, 1729 (December 23, 1728 lunar calendar), German playwright Gothold Efraim Lessing was born. Lessing, the Lessing memorial statue in the center of Hamburg, was a writer, thinker, and critic of a wide range. As a leading representative of the German Enlightenment, he was a pioneer in thinking about the self-consciousness of citizens. His theoretical and critical works are distinguished by the often used comical, satirical style and accurate argumentation. The rhetorical style of the dialogue in his works is in line with his intention to always observe things from different angles and to find traces of truth in the arguments of his opponents. For him, truth was never something that could be grasped and immutable, but a process of constantly approaching the truth. Lessing developed an early interest in drama, striving to contribute to the development of a new civic drama in Germany, whether in his theories on the subject of drama, in his critical essays, or in his own works as a writer. He opposed the literary theory of the dominant Gottscheid and his disciples. He was particularly critical of the imitation of French drama as an example, and he supported a reflection on the principles of Aristotle's classicism and a reference to Shakespeare's work. Lessing was the first person to create a Shakespeare Review in Germany. He collaborated with many theatre groups. In Hamburg, Lessing attempted to build, with others, a German national theatre (until 1769). Now, his work is seen as a model for the German civic theatre that later developed. "Miss Sara Samson" and "Amelia Galotti" are regarded as the earliest civic tragedies, and "Minna von Barnheim" is a model for many classical German plays. "Nathan the Wise Man" was the first conceptual play to explore worldviews. His theoretical works Laocoon and the Hamburg Drama Review set the standard for discussing the principles of aesthetics and literary theory. In his works on religious philosophy, Lessing defended the freedom of thought of devout Christians. He opposed belief in God's revelation and full adherence to the Bible through a dominant conservative academic viewpoint. Contrary to conservative views, as a child of the Enlightenment, he believed in a "rational Christianity" that could direct itself to the spiritual substance of faith. He believed that human reason (motivated by criticism and dissent) could develop itself without the need for divine revelation. In order to provoke a public debate about "complete dependence on faith," Lessing published seven Unsigned Pieces between 1774 and 1778, which gave rise to the so-called "Pieces Debate." Lessing's main opponent in this controversy was Goetzer, Bishop of Hamburg, against which Lessing wrote several articles, including 11 copies of "Against Goetzer." In addition, Lessing also participated in many polemics with the spokespeople of the dominant academic views, in support of tolerance for other world religions. He also expressed his views in the form of plays (in "Nathan the Wise"), because his later theoretical works were banned from publication. In "On the Education of Man", he expressed his views systematically. The spirit of freedom (against the exemplary dominance of French theatre in drama, against the dogma of the church in religion) was the main thread throughout Lessing's life. Therefore, he participated in the liberation of the striving civic class from the control of the aristocracy. As a writer, he has always pursued independence from others, but his ideal of living a free writer's life is difficult to achieve due to economic conditions.