As a natural aesthetic category in ancient Chinese culture

Author: Zhao Zhijun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: This book is the author's doctoral dissertation. The author argues that nature has become an important category in ancient Chinese aesthetic culture because it encompasses the concept of freedom. In the vast majority of contexts in ancient Chinese literature, "nature" does not carry the meaning of "natural world" as it does in modern Chinese. In ancient Chinese literature, "nature" mostly takes the connotation of "being as it is" from the Laozi and Zhuangzi. This connotation is generally interpreted by most scholars as "being as it is." This is the most fundamental definition of nature for the ancient Chinese. If nature is as it is according to its own nature, then nature is freedom. "Nature" is a fundamental or original category in classical Chinese aesthetics, and it has had an immense influence on ancient Chinese aesthetic culture. In aesthetic theory and artistic practice, it can be said to be consistently applied. Without grasping the category of "nature," it is difficult to truly appreciate and understand the implications of ancient Chinese art. Therefore, the exploration of the "nature" category is an important task in aesthetic research.