Art Classroom · History of Chinese and Foreign Drama

Author: Liu Yanjun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: This series of "Art Classroom" books was compiled for the purpose of art education in universities. Education is not merely about the transmission of knowledge and the cultivation of skills, but also about shaping the character of individuals who represent the progress of human civilization and social advancement, and this is particularly true for university education. Confucius said, "When you enter a country, you can know its education." Confucius meant that by teaching the people through different textbooks, subjects, and educational models such as poetry, calligraphy, music, the Book of Changes, and the Rites, different effects would be achieved in the cultivation of their character. Since the Industrial Revolution in Europe, the modern education system has gradually taken shape, greatly enriching the connotation of education. National education has long since moved beyond being limited to a single textbook or educational model. From the perspective of character cultivation, an educational model that combines multiple subjects is more suitable for cultivating comprehensive talents needed for social development. However, for China, the introduction of this education system has been too short, and it is far from being mature. There are inevitably many shortcomings, and the severe lag in art education is one of the important manifestations of these shortcomings. Compared to subjects that can more directly cultivate people's practical abilities, especially natural sciences and other practical subjects, the importance of art education, particularly its status in the entire basic education system, has far from been given enough attention. Humans are animals with spiritual lives and need spiritual lives. In the process of character cultivation, the special significance of art education lies in tempering people's temperament and enriching their souls through poetic means, thereby enriching their spiritual world. In an era where human material desires have surged to an extreme, leading to a severe imbalance between material and spiritual pursuits and distorted personalities, art, with its corrective role in promoting healthy personality development, is increasingly highlighting its special significance for human survival and the future. Over two thousand years ago, Confucius already recognized that "gentleness and kindness, that is the teaching of poetry" and "gentleness and kindness without folly, then one is deeply versed in poetry." Indeed, the gentleness and kindness in one's temperament cannot be innate; they require post-natal education and cultivation. If we endorse the character ideals that Confucius admired, it is not difficult to recognize the value of art and the value of art education. It is true that with more and more knowledgeable individuals advocating for quality-oriented education, the significance of art education has also become a social consensus. Since the mid-1990s of the 20th century, art education in China has begun to rapidly heat up. In addition to the establishment of new art colleges and secondary art schools that were upgraded from existing art professional colleges and secondary art professional schools, ordinary comprehensive universities have also established new art departments and majors based on their public art teaching and research offices. However, due to the long-term focus on technical-level teaching in the field of art professional education, basic historical and theoretical research has lagged severely. Everywhere feels a lack of suitable textbooks and teaching reference materials, and the need for basic art history and theory textbooks for art departments and majors in ordinary universities, especially qualified textbooks and teaching reference materials for popularizing basic art knowledge for non-art majors, is particularly urgent. Therefore, it is a timely move to organize experts to compile a series of works on art history and theory, forming a relatively complete library of art history and theory with works from different categories. With this in mind, we invited renowned experts from various art disciplines in China to compile this series, which includes five major categories: music, fine arts, theater, dance, and film and television. Each category is divided into three volumes: history, theory, and reference materials. This allows readers to have a basic understanding of the overall situation or the basic principles of the art discipline with just one volume in hand, and to master the most important historical documents in the field. The authors of this series are experts who have immersed themselves in their respective fields for many years, are academically accomplished, and have sharp minds and outstanding insights. Therefore, it is possible for them to convey the core knowledge and thought-provoking ideas of each art discipline in a relatively moderate volume. The design of this series aims to make the library more practical and distinctive than similar books on the market, and it is also more suitable for the teaching of art departments in non-art professional colleges, the research of art teachers and students in art colleges on non-major art disciplines, and the cultivation of interest in art appreciation among ordinary university students. Art emerged with the birth of human civilization and has continuously evolved with the progress of human civilization; therefore, each nation has developed various categories of art, but the art that emerges in the process of each civilization's development is also different. Even within the same art category, different ethnic groups may have significant differences in aesthetic orientation and development paths. Art is often national, yet it is also a cause for all of humanity; how to balance the national and global aspects of art is a great challenge for all the authors of this series. To view art as a common spiritual pursuit of all humanity and to grant art research a global perspective is a new artistic view that this series strives to embody, and it is also a special response from many experts in the field of contemporary Chinese art research to the era of globalization. Therefore, during the compilation process of this book, we have always been mindful of discussing each nation's art as an integral part of the overall world art. To finally achieve this goal, it requires the joint efforts of more experts and scholars; what we have done is only a new attempt. Whether we are already close to the desired goal and to what extent we are close to it still needs to be tested by readers and peers. We look forward to feedback from readers and peers, and hope that this series can open the door to art for readers and that readers will enjoy it.