Chinese culture and awareness

Author: Zheng Han
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Excerpt from Preface: The book "Chinese Culture and the Concept of Harmony" before us consists of two parts: the main text is a study of the category of "Harmony" in classical Chinese aesthetics, and the appendix is the author's recent explorations into literary criticism theory and practice. The former was revised from a doctoral dissertation, while the latter was the topic of a master's thesis. Zheng Han has conducted in-depth research on both subjects. For example, to study the aesthetic category of "Harmony," he read extensively in anthropology, archaeology, paleography, ancient manuscript studies, as well as philosophy and history, synthesizing the arguments to reveal the profound essence of "Harmony." The paper systematically and comprehensively reviews the historical evolution of "Harmony" from primitive society to the Ming and Qing dynasties, summarizing its fundamental characteristics in a relatively complete manner, demonstrating creativity. Particularly noteworthy is the connection between the formation of "Harmony" culture and ancient primitive worship, shamanistic rituals, and the concept of unity between heaven and humanity, uncovering insights previously unexplored. While narrating the history, the paper also explores the structural methods of the cultural ideology of "Harmony" in ancient China, striving to integrate history and theory. The author's view of the relationship between Yin and Yang as the basic structural method of the ideological concept of "Harmony" aligns with reality, and this understanding reveals the comprehensive penetration of "Harmony" into Chinese culture, which is an important insight. Regarding the study of literary criticism, the focus is on the combination of theoretical and practical aspects, breaking away from purely abstract paradigms, which is beneficial for the development of literary criticism. Of course, these insights are exploratory and not definitive conclusions. However, Zheng Han's academic approach is serious and rigorous. Excerpt from the Main Text: The cultural consciousness of Harmony in ancient China is structured by the interaction of Yin and Yang. The interaction of Yin and Yang is not Hegel's dialectical division into two, but rather mutual imposition, mutual transformation, mutual inclusion, and mutual transformation, leading to pluralistic coordination, vast harmony, and endless vitality. It is a round and complete unity, where the core is the presence of Harmony in Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang return to the root of Harmony. In terms of thinking patterns, the concept of Yin-Yang interaction reflects the network-based thinking model of ancient Chinese culture: centered on the idea of Harmony, it emphasizes the unity of heaven and humanity as the core of pluralistic centrality, leading to harmony, thereby generating all things, encompassing everything, and including a series of opposing and corresponding concepts and categories.