Ancient Chinese Art Classification System

Author: Chen Zhu, Zeng Zuyin / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-09-01
Features: In the stage of literary theory, from the perspective of the Dao, it has negated its own absolute abstraction and combined with reality, beginning to enter the realm of artistic beauty. The Dao that is combined with reality was called "Li" in the pre-Qin period. Mencius referred to it as the "Li of righteousness," saying: "The joy of righteousness in my heart is like the joy of grass and grain in my mouth." (Mencius, "Gaozi Chapter 1") Zhuangzi referred to it as the "natural Li," saying: "Explore the beauty of heaven and earth and understand the principles of all things." (Zhuangzi, "Zhibei You") The Li discussed by both Mencius and Zhuangzi was combined with reality in aesthetics, though they did not differentiate between Li and the Dao. It was only under Han Feizi that the logical transformation between the two was truly completed. Han Feizi said: "The Dao is the way of all things, and the standard of all principles." He also said: "All things have their own unique principles, and the Dao encompasses them all. Examining the principles of all things, one must inevitably transform." (Han Feizi, "Jiesao") This merely illustrates that Li and the Dao are mutually corresponding: the Dao is absolute, while Li is relative; Li cannot exist without the Dao, yet it also embodies the Dao; all things are rooted in the Dao, yet each has its own Li, so they are not identical. Specific things have birth, death, and change, and their Li also has birth, death, and change. This Li is the crystallization of the rationalist (or rational spirit) concept prevalent in the pre-Qin period. On one hand, with the disintegration of the culture of the Xia Dynasty and the divine culture of the Shang Dynasty, as well as the collapse of the ritual culture of the Zhou Dynasty, human rational consciousness was greatly liberated and expressed; yet at the same time, the cultural and ideological thoughts of the emerging class, due to the emerging class not yet having gained political rule, were not institutionalized or standardized, presenting a situation of intellectual debate and the rise of a hundred schools of thought, which was inevitable in the early stages. Therefore, the interpretation of Li varied depending on the individual and their school. Despite this, as a common tendency, the rational spirit critically and negated the ruling clan slave system and its original and divine views on the heavens and gods, achieving a groundbreaking and earth-shattering feat. The rational spirit that permeated pre-Qin cultural and artistic works also expressed a rejection and critique of the divine views on the heavens and their aesthetic values, as well as an admiration and exploration of the aesthetic ideals of humanistic views on the heavens. During the Spring and Autumn period, people achieved an initial "discovery of humanity" and affirmation of "human value" through the "Book of Songs," which was shrouded in pervasive anxieties and profound skepticism. (①) "Li Sao" reflected the transition of the contemporary era consciousness from mythology to history due to the awakening of reason, enthusiastically praising and glorifying the individual personality and sentiments that could only exist in moments of rational awakening. The stylistically diverse prose of the philosophers—concise and profound in the "Analects," grand in Mencius, fantastical in Zhuangzi, rigorous in Xunzi, and sharp in Han Feizi—showcased human wisdom and the extent to which profound and sharp logical power could be elevated to a high degree of emotionalization and artistry, becoming an unattainable model for later generations. The Zenghou Yi bell chimes, hailed as the eighth wonder of ancient human culture, infused the formless and invisible music of the heavens into a tangible and substantial artistic masterpiece that blended grandeur and precision, solemnity and delicacy, making the natural Dao into a practical aesthetic activity through humanization. Compared to the prehistoric art, which was unconsciously rational and mixed with mythological material production and primitive religious rituals, the burgeoning rational spirit of the pre-Qin period allowed the artistic characteristics of human aesthetic objects to develop distinctly and independently. Therefore, artistic works and aesthetic consciousness with a certain degree of independence only truly emerged at this time. However, on the other side of the coin, the self-awareness of artistic images (i.e., artistic theory) in the pre-Qin period lagged behind the rich artistic practice; the aesthetic nature of art itself was still unclear, including poetry and music, which were mixed with the general term of cultural and academic studies, and could only be considered a broad form of art. The reason for this was the great differentiation and transformation during the period of social system transition, which caused the attention and theoretical enthusiasm of all schools and factions to focus on political and philosophical debates. Even when certain artistic issues were mentioned, they were necessary for political and philosophical advocacy rather than deliberate or capable of specialized exploration in artistic theory. The pan-artistic nature of literary theory in the pre-Qin period, of course, reflected the non-specialized characteristics of pre-Qin artistic theory in its early stages. However, it was precisely this "non-specialization" and "pan-art" that gave it broad inclusivity, so that in every historical stage of the development of later artistic theory, all schools and factions took what they needed from the pre-Qin literary theory based on their own understanding of art. Not only is this the case for individual theories, but even the general theories of art in certain historical stages became logical extensions of certain tendencies, factions, or claims in the pre-Qin literary theory. Throughout the long history of the development of ancient Chinese literary and artistic theory, there has been an unbroken and surging wave of retrogressive movements. Although each retrogressive movement had distinct practical targeting and aesthetic preferences, there was one common point: almost without exception, they sought to find and establish their theoretical origins and logical foundations from the ideological treasury of the pre-Qin literary theory. The vast and inclusive pre-Qin literary theory undoubtedly served as the spiritual cradle for various later artistic theories, schools, and trends. (P14-16)