Introduction to Hakka Cultural Aesthetics

Author: Tan Yuanheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-11-01
Features: The study of Hakka culture is flourishing, and many renowned scholars have pointed out that its theoretical level has made significant progress. This is naturally the case. For such a metaphysical ethnic group, its brilliance, prominence, and immortality should first be reflected at the spiritual level, especially considering it has nurtured a large number of great figures in both Chinese and world cultural history who are no less outstanding. With such a group of "spiritual aristocrats," how could the study of Hakka culture possibly remain at a superficial level, lacking theoretical depth and humanistic brilliance? If you say this, many would consider it self-evident. However, in reality, the resurgence of Hakka studies at the end of the 20th century still lacked philosophical, cultural, anthropological, and of course, aesthetic advancement for a considerable period of time. In other words, its theoretical color was quite faint. The excitement was there, but there was still a lack of rational reflection. Of course, this might be an unavoidable process. Here, I do not intend to deny that certain aspects, such as field research and genealogy exploration, have already achieved considerable success, providing a solid foundation for future theoretical research. While some biases or even errors are inevitable, this is also a sign of maturation.