Chinese Aesthetics

The subject introduces to the students the fundamentals and the specific features of Chinese aesthetics. As an academic discipline, it did not developed in China until the mid-20th century. This development was driven by the process of modernization, which encompassed the categories and concepts of the Western philosophical tradition. In the process of establishing syntheses with Western philosophy, Chinese academics sought to reflect whether there was aesthetics in Chinese tradition. Traditional Chinese aesthetics deals with the issues of human existence, the universe, human relationships and society. In this context, aesthetic problems are not considered as problems of knowledge, in the sense of finding answers to questions about aesthetics and beauty - which was a central issue in western aesthetics. Traditional Chinese aesthetics is founded on the background of humanity and the reflection on human relations and society, where philosophy, aesthetics and life experiences are integrated into a whole. Chinese aesthetics is not an internalization of reason (cognition) nor its congestion (ethics), but a sedimented blend of reason and senses. This view differs greatly from Western aesthetics, which is defined as "a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of art, beauty and taste, with the creation and admiration of beauty.

Li, Zehou. 2010. The Chinese Aesthetic Tradition. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. COBISS.SI-ID - 52525666
Liu, Xie s.d. Wenxin diaolong (Srcna zavest literature in rezbarjenje zmaja). V: Chinese text project. Post Han. http://ctext.org/wenxin-diaolong
Zhuangzi . s.d. V: Chinese text project, Pre-Qin in Han. http://ctext.org/zhuangzi