“Ideological War”: A Prelude and Pilot on “Cultural Warfare”——A Century of Chinese Literary Criticism in the 20th Century

Yin Guoming

Abstract: In terms of Chinese literary criticism in the 20th century, the struggle in the field of cultural ideology has become more and more intense since Du Yaquan proposed “Ideological War”. Especially after the May Fourth New Culture Movement, the ideological war with its focus on what is the future and destiny of China and where China goes has entered an unprecedented fierce state from the “l(fā)iterary revolution” to“revolutionary literature”. The debate in literary criticism is also involved in this cultural warfare, acting as a frontier for ideological and discursive power, and embodying a full-length historical drama full of joys and sorrows.

Cognitive Neurological Aesthetics: An Emerging School of Thought

Li Zhihong, Li Wei

Abstract: Cognitive neurological aesthetics puts forward a different argument from ontological aesthetics and forms a new school of thought with a new theory. The basic question of aesthetics should be “where do beautiful things come from”, while the question of “what is beauty” is a secondary problem derived from this initial question. The fundamental reason why an object is beautiful is not because there is “beauty” in it,but because it is beneficial to people. Objects in favor of people can trigger the sense of pleasure, thus forming a general cognitive module in the cognitive nervous system of the brain that links form perception with pleasure and meaning comprehension. When people are in a state of noninterest, and encounter objects and their form that matches the existing cognitive module, the general cognitive module will be transformed into a special cognitive module, which can intuitively generate non-interested pleasure, which is also known as beauty. Therefore, the object that arouses aesthetic feeling is called the thing of beauty, and then it is mistaken under the effect of illusion that it contains “beauty” itself.

Interdisciplinary Study of Aesthetics in the 21st Century:On the Theoretical Construction of Cognitive Neuro-Aesthetics

Zhao Yao

Abstract: Since the 21st century, the original cognitive neurological aesthetics in China, as an interdisciplinary aesthetic theory based on Marx's dialectical materialism and using modern cognitive neuroscience as empirical materials, has revived the earliest aesthetic research path initiated by Kant and advanced the new progress of contemporary Chinese aesthetic research. The cognitive neuro-aesthetic theory not only profoundly interprets the long-term entanglements of the “essence of beauty”, but also guides the fundamental problems of aesthetics from “what is beauty” to “why things are beautiful”, scientifically reveals the deep mechanism of aesthetic activities, and makes possible the dialogue between Chinese aesthetics and the world aesthetics.

Study on the Brain Neural Mechanism of Musical Aesthetics

Hu Jun

Abstract: Musical neuro-aesthetics has obviously become a research field with its main purpose to study the neurological activity mechanism of human brain related to music aesthetics. Based on the data of music aesthetic experiments, this paper expounds two major neuroaesthetic mechanisms of music aesthetic pleasure, which are inferred and discussed by neuro-aestheticians such as Blutek, including both the emotional mechanism of bottom-up sensory direct access and the cognitive regulation mechanism of top-down. They work in parallel, cooperate with each other and regulate each other, together producing music aesthetic pleasure.

On the Imagination of China in Western Science Fictions in the 21st Century

Ban Yiwen

Abstract: In the 21st century, Chinese and Western culture become more diverse, which leads to a more profound blending between them. Since globalization is projected on popular culture all the time, science fiction, whether as a novel type or a movie type, has become an indispensable and important category in popular culture both in the West and China. Science fiction reveals literary and artistic creators’ reflection on science and technology, their imagination of the future and their concern for many practical problems. This paper focuses on the process and causes of the depiction and imagination of China from scratch, from singleness to complexity in Western science fiction works in the 21st century,so as to explore how science fiction works of western countries dominated by United States describe China as the other between imagination and reality, and explore the changes of relations among big powers in the fields of culture, politics and economy reflected in aesthetics.

On “Science” in Early Chinese Science Fiction

Feng Ge

Abstract: Western science fiction is featured with scientific fantasy in its early development and then popularization of science afterwards in China. Fantasy resides in the underdevelopment of science, and popularity in the expectation of developing science, both of which are elite literary expressions, but lack the expression of rational and empirical scientific spirit. Up to now, Chinese science fiction has already surmounted the utilitarianism of the times. How to use local imagination resources to express the spirit of the times, to make original works and to create science fiction literature with Chinese characteristics is still a topic we are exploring.

Aesthetic Redemption in Urban Scrapping——Modern Fragmentary Landscape in Benjamin

Yang Xiangrong

Abstract: Benjamin pays attention to capturing the flowing time and details of life from trivial modern life in modern cities, and creates the flowing, fantastic and vibrant “montage” fragmentary landscape in capitalist commercial metropolis by focusing on the image of loafers,garbage collectors and prostitutes roaming the arcade. Benjamin accomplishes the aesthetic redemption of the ruins of modernity by displaying the fragmentary landscape of daily life in a fable way.

Wang Yuanhua’s Research Life

Wang Shouxue, Hu Xiaoming

Abstract: Wang Yuanhua’s academic achievements have three important aspects: (1) As a literary critic, he adheres to realist literature,pursuing literary truth, adhering to the criteria of the unification of ideology and art, flaunting human nature and personality, and highlighting the subjectivity of literature. He safeguards the dignity of literature and academy in spite of power, thus demonstrating his stern spirit. (2) As a literary theorist, Wang Yuanhua integrates Chinese and Western culture, the past and the present, and opens up a new field for the study of Wen Xin Diao Long. (3) As a thinker, ideological historian and cultural scholar, Wang Yuanhua probes deeply into the crux of contemporary Chinese ideological and theoretical circles, investigating the root of extreme left ideological trend, and promoting the ideological liberation movement in the new period. Wang Yuanhua is the inheritor and developer of the spirit of the May 4th Movement. His reflection on the May 4th New Culture Movement and his advocacy of “academic thinking” opened the “post-May 4th” era of Chinese ideology and culture.

The Charitable Activities of Wang Yiting as a Buddhist

Xie Zhongqiang

Abstract: Wang Yiting is a philanthropist and Buddhist, whose charitable activities also reveal the obvious Buddhism. Because of the natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, droughts in 1920s and 1930s, and in view of the possible threat brought by the 2nd World War, he organized and participated in a series of charitable activities through Buddhist religious rites. And his charitable activities are a living demonstration of the relationship between Buddhism and charity.

Saturday and the Formation of Modern Civic Culture in Shanghai

Yang Xiaolin

Abstract: The end of 19th century is an important period of Shanghai’s transformation from rural to urban areas. The development of citizen culture plays a crucial role in the process of transformation, since only by constructing modern urban citizens and corresponding citizen consciousness can we successfully establish a modern city. During the early formation of Shanghai citizen culture, the journal Saturday edited by popular writers of the school of Mandarin Ducks and Butter flies nourishes to the construction of citizen's life form, aesthetic culture and public sphere from advertisements, novel texts and current affairs reviews. The study of Saturday is an important part in the formation of Shanghai citizen culture.

Two Forms of Modernity Vision: Modern Art and Graphic Design

Wang Yong

Abstract: The fact that modern art triggered the birth of modern graphic design tends to make people ignore the essential difference between the two. But the difference is not to build a gully between the two, but to give them an exact position respectively in modern vision. The reality is that although the two are essentially different, their relationship makes them both part of modern visual life, that is to say, the two existing forms of visual modernity are embodied in the community. Therefore, it is absolutely unnecessary to prefer one to the other. Both of them have the basis of existence which is the reflection of the two forms of modernity vision, and they should exist in modern life from the perspective of visual politics.

What To Draw is Not Important: A Dialogue with Zhang Fangbai

Zhang Fangbai, Wang Chunjie, Xia Cun (edits)

Abstract: It is not important for a painter to regard what he draws but how he draws it. While Zhang Fangbai paints, his focus is rather on the black-and-white image of each painting instead of specific images. The black-and-white Structure is the core of his concern. Each painting contains black and white, its dynamics, the flowing of each line and each piece of paints, and the spirit conveyed, which are not specific images,but ultimately can be established on the screen. Creation is to spend a lot of time thinking about how to solve these problems.

On the Newly Published Seventeen Ties of Wang Xizhi’s Library Book“Dustless Bookstore Book” —— Discussions with Mr. Itozi (Muji Hall)

Fang Hanwen

Abstract: Mr. Itozi of Japan newly discovers the dust-free book of Wang Xizhi’s Seventeen Ties and states that it may be “the same stone as Mitsui Ben”. However, the word “monk power” on the “Chi” page is arranged in parallel, which is different from those versions of Sanjing,Shangye, Shangyuan and Ansiyuan, compared with the “full edition” and “half-loss edition”, and the seal as the most important condition of “l(fā)ibrary edition” needs to be identified. In the history of calligraphy in Wei and Jin Dynasties, the transition from traditional Li, Zhang Cao to Xincao exists simultaneously, which is determined by the historical rule of “general change” of calligraphy aesthetics in Wei and Jin Dynasties.

Three Pedestrians of Red Mansion: Wang Guowei, Cai Yuanpei and Mao Zedong (Part Ⅱ)

Shan Shilian

Abstract: Among the comments on A Dream in Red Mansions in the 20th century, Wang Guowei, Cai Yuanpei and Mao Zedong are always thought as important figures. Although none of them are Red Discipline in professional sense, they exert a great influence on the study of Red Discipline, on literary studies and cultural thoughts, covering theories and texts, China and the West, literature and politics, etc. This paper analyzes in what sense A Dream in Red Mansions is interpreted by different theories, meanwhile, it also explains how a novel enters modern cultural life.