Aesthetic appreciation of animals in China: a vision out of Western Aesthetics

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aesthetic appreciation of animals in China is different from that in the West. In this paper, I identify these differences by tracing the various definitions of the word ‘animal’ in Chinese, and by illustrating the special aesthetic values advocated within Chinese aesthetics. Further, I argue that, when animals are aesthetically appreciated against the background of Chinese culture, they may be viewed as both physical and spiritual objects, and as symbolizing the harmony between humanity and nature. At the same time, many Chinese animal images are shaped and appreciated in an ever-changing and interdependent pattern. I conclude by noting differences between China and the West in the aesthetic appreciation of animals with respect to the importance of physical attractiveness, the roles of interaction and imagination, and the aesthetic context of appreciation.