The transmission of Chinese art and aesthetics to the West can be traced back to Matteo Ricci. The biases towards Chinese art evident in Ricci's journal reflect the intellectual and cultural conditions of his time. However, with the growing contact between China and Europe through missionaries and merchants in the seventeenth century, China gradually came to be perceived as a mysterious “Other” in Europe. In 1685, the British writer William Temple completed the long essay “Upon the Gardens of Epicurus”, in which he regarded the garden as a practical embodiment of the Epicurean philosophy of happiness. Temple proposed that, in contrast to the uniform and symmetrical layouts of European gardens, the irregularity of Chinese gardens rendered themselves superior in beauty. While both drew upon the gifts of nature, the designs of Chinese gardens displayed exceptional imagination and discernment. To describe this aesthetic of irregularity, Temple coined the term “Sharawadgi”. In recent years, with the rise of Chinese discourse, sharawadgi as a notion of “scattered splendor and wondrous beauty” has reemerged as an aesthetic category, extending its influence into diverse fields such as architecture and music. The accounts of the Macartney Embassy's 1793 visit to the Imperial Summer Resort in Rehe may be regarded as a comprehensive response to the long—standing debates on the transmission of Chinese garden aesthetics to the West. Their significance lay not merely in determining whether Chinese or British garden designs were superior, but in revealing the possibilities of equal and reciprocal understanding between Chinese and Western civilizations.

In 1964, the seventh issue of Philosophical Translation Series (Zhexue Yicong), a special issue on dialectical problems, featured “Contradiction and Overdetermination”—the first Chinese translation of Louis Althusser's seminal essay “Contradiction et Surdétermination”. This seemingly incidental translation is closely linked to the distinctive modes of translation practices within “New China's Literary Theory” and the global discourse on the “Young Karl Marx” in the 1960s. In his concise yet scholarly translator's note, Ding Xianggong introduces the debates sparked by “Contradiction and Overdetermination” in French theoretical circles and offers insights into the rationale behind the translation of the French term surdétermination into Chinese. Through the Sinicization of “Contradiction and Overdetermination”, Chinese scholars not only engaged with alternative interpretations of the Hegel—Marx relationship offered by their Western counterparts, but also indirectly introduced the prominent Western Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci to China. A close reading of Ding Xianggong's 1964 translation in comparison with Gu Liang's 1984 version reveals a concise and assertive translation style that reflects the militant and revolutionary ethos characteristic of translation efforts in the 1960s.

Throughout its long historical evolution, the Chinese nation has cultivated a profound and enduring cultural tradition, many elements of which retain remarkable vitality today. The traditional concept of “literature” of Chinese nation exemplifies this contrituity. Rooted in the principle that literary creation originates from the emotional stirrings arising between the mind and external phenomena, this tradition upholds “shaping expression according to emotion” (yin qing she cai) as a fundamental tenet governing the formation of writing norms. This emotion—centered literary philosophy differs significantly from the Western tradition, which often privileges the construction of “images” as the core aesthetic task. In contrast, the Chinese approach aligns more closely with the lived experiences and resonates strongly with the contemporary movements such as “Great Literature,” thereby meriting renewed scholarly attention.

Fengshi (sealed memorials) was a common type of memorial writing in the Han dynasty. Its emergence was closely related to the technique of observing qi during the Qin and Han periods. In the mid—to—late Western Han, as political conflicts intensified, fengshi became an important vehicle for the theories of Yin—Yang and the discourse of catastrophes and anomalies. Compared to other memorial writings, Han—dynasty fengshi exhibited a distinctive rhetorical style that maintained righteousness but harnessed the unusual. These texts embody a specialized system of knowledge and reflect the Confucian scholars' synthesis of classical studies, historiography, and the learning of Yin—Yang. Often written with strong emotion and moral indignation, these documents voiced sharp critiques of contemporary governance; in doing so, they highlighted the “unyielding integrity” of Confucian literati. Among the vast corpus of Han memorial literature, these texts possess unique literary and aesthetic value.

Amid the politically changed literary landscape of the lat Ming dynasty, the taige school—comprising primarily of Hanlin officials and Grand Secretariat ministers—adopted a strategy of active engagement while maintaining its traditional foundations. From the early Wanli period to the Tianqi and Chongzhen riegns, the taige writers consistently asserted that literary authority should be restored to their own ranks. In response to challenges from the School of the Seven Masters (qizi pai), taige scholars developed three major competitive strategies. The first was a dialectical strategy of offense and defense, through which they defended their professional identity as court literati and upheld their aesthetic values of propriety, while criticizing the Seven Masters for their excessive imitation and limited scholarly breadth. The second was the diversified organizational strategy, which traced their lineage to historiographers of the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties and to Hanlin scholars. This strategy also emphasized the internal transmission of literary concepts and intellectual legacy, while renewing the roster of representative taige members. It aimed to attract the neutral writers to the taige community and to consolidate group and alliance identities. The third was a confrontational writing strategy, which emphasized creativity, talent, learning, and practical experience in composition. Taige writers rejected sectarian biases in favor of eclectic synthesis and pursued a calm, simple and harmonious writing style. Through these strategies, the taige school played a vital role in the literary and intellectual transformations of the late Ming dynasty.

The study of the origin and genre of fu is a significant field in academic history. However, its conclusions are closely related to the documentary records found in The Book of Han: Summary of Songs and Fu. An examination of the fu entries in Summary of Songs and Fu reveals certain problems with the collected texts and their generic styles. Summary of Songs and Fu attempts to construct the origin of fu within the discourse system of The Book of Songs scholarship to create a cultural continuity with the Zhou dynasty. Although the collection in Summary of Songs and Fu is miscellaneous and its definition of some textual genres is imprecise, it still holds significant foundational significance. Its emergence marks a crucial watershed in the classification and stylistic analysis of fu. Following Summary of Songs and Fu, from the Eastern Han to the Six Dynasties period, the classification and stylistic analysis of fu become increasingly clear and refined.

The Suzhou xiqu circle in the early Qing dynasty developed a distinctive style characterized by the simultaneous flourishing of creation and performance. This phenomenon was shaped by traditional xiqu heritage, dynastic transition, economic growth, and the internal dynamics of xiqu development. In terms of creation, the emergence of numerous playwrights and works reflected, for the first time, the symbiotic relationship between literati and folk xiqu, achieving a closer integration between literature and the stage. In terms of performances, a vibrant scene arose in which professional folk troupes and gentry family troupes complemented one another, demonstrating diverse modes of xiqu transmission and corresponding to the creative process. Owing to its prosperity, maturity, and well-defined structure, the Suzhou xiqu circle in the early Qing dynasty may was quite unique and important, and be regarded as a pinnacle in the development of classical xiqu. A comprehensive reconstruction and reexamination of this circle can illuminate its unique status and significance in the history of xiqu, advancing the study of this classic topic.

The figure of the “recluse” has possessed cultural features of eremitism since its inception. As the image of seclusion was incorporated into Chinese painting, the Wu School of painting in the Ming dynasty played a crucial role. They changed the style of Yuan painting and employed the image of the “recluse” in their paintings, which consequently became both realistic and symbolic. In portraying the beauty of the “recluse,” the Wu School placed the figure at the center and the focal point of the painting, blending it with the surrounding landscape and highlighting its noble and classically elegant spiritual qualities. The Wu School also endowed the “recluse” with profound intellectual nature. In the paintings, these figures discuss metaphysics and comprehend the Dao; they use the “mind's eye” to mystically contemplate the landscape. Such scenes reveal the philosophical perspectives of the Wu School painters on the world and human existence.

Playing weiqi, as a unique mode of communication for the ancients, has historically developed into a metaphorical behavioral gesture or visual image. By the Song dynasty, playing weiqi had become an important element in painting. Inheriting the conceptual heritage and iconographic conventions of predecessors, the visual image of playing weiqi in the Song dynasty continued to develop, which showcased people's value pursuit at that time. The weiqi game, as a symbol of “holistic form,” conveys meaning through non—linear spatial layouts and comprehensive sensory experiences in the Song cultural context. Based on the operational characteristics of the game itself and the construction of meaning in previous dynasties, Song paintings of weiqi playing engaged with political metaphors in traditional beliefs. On the basis of political symbolism in reality, the weiqi game in Song paintings combined with the literati's concepts of leisure and sentiment towards landscape. Those paintings became a visual expression of the literati's ideal of transcending the constraints of reality. The unique taste of the literati associated with weiqi further enabled its evolution in terms of visual symbolic meaning, which greatly appealed to the imagination of the Song public towards the ideal state of life.

The emergence and evolution of the aesthetic concept of jinshi (epigraphy) flavor are bound up with social and cultural transitions, shifts in aesthetic concepts, changes in political configurations, the historical development of the aesthetics of calligraphy itself, and influences from related artistic genres. Of particular importance is its complex interaction and entanglement with the development of epigraphy and stele studies. The rise of “jinshi flavor” represents the process by which an epigraphic sensibility gradually evolved into the ontology of calligraphic aesthetics. Examining the conceptual formation of “jinshi flavor” and its historical development as an aesthetic practice offers an important window for understanding the relationship between artistic creation and socio—historical structures, and for exploring the creative transformation and innovative development of China's outstanding traditional cultural heritage.

With the re—discovery of “place” and the ontological turn towards spatiality, spatial studies, postmodern geography, and cultural studies have increasingly integrated Marxism, phenomenology and ontology. The major contribution of the “spatial turn” lies in revealing the revolutionary potential of “space,” “place” and “locale,” thereby transforming the notion of “locale as a site of existence” into both a poetics and a political economy of spatial construction. “Place” becomes a convergence of human thoughts, memories and dreams, with “home” serving as the aggregation of this supreme existence. The poetics of space aims to uncover the richness of this imagined existence. Rooted in phenomenological reflection on the poetic construction of place, contemporary spatial studies move beyond the traditional tripartite framework with dimensions of “divinity,” “power” and “humanity” in urban studies. These studies restore the critical and reconstructive role of “place,” expanding the paradigm of spatial philosophy grounded in the lifeworld.

This article examines Walter Pater's cultural theory by exploring the relationship between his aesthetic and religious thought. Building upon Friedrich Shiller's theory of aesthetic education and Matthew Arnold's cultural theory, Pater seeks to cultivate an ideal culture grounded in the completeness of humanity through a reevaluation of Greek culture and early Christianity. Epicureanism embodies Pater's aesthetic theory. Epicurean aestheticism promotes openness and inclusivity, encouraging the pursuit of diverse experiences and the embrace of all excellent ideas, including those of Christianity. Epicurean devotion to beauty is elevated to a form of sacred religiousness. At the same time, Pater praises second—century Christianity for nourishing human nature and embodying a Christianity of humanism. Unlike Arnold, who sought to synthesize Greek and Hebrew cultures, Pater's writings reveal an inner consistency between the sacredness and sincerity of Epicureanism and the humanism of early Christianity. His theory thus moves beyond “art for art's sake” to demonstrate broader cultural significance.

Japanese pure love films and TV dramas have a particular preference for incurable diseases, such as leukemia. To view these illnesses merely as a means to preserve the beauty of the characters is not only inconsistent with the plot but also obscures the cultural—political implications of this obsessive fixation, which clearly exhibits compulsive traits. In fact, by repeatedly emphasizing leukemia, Japanese pure love films and TV dramas complete a higher—order symbolic identification with the victims of the atomic bombings, thereby perpetuating the victim logic upheld in Japanese atomic bomb literature. As a unique trauma narrative, these works skillfully evade both historical and moral scrutiny. Thus, the history of the atomic bombing, as metonymically represented by leukemia, is continually reintroduced through this narrative mechanism and, in the process, achieves global recognition within an eternal synchronicity. In this way, leukemia subtly converges with what Auschwitz symbolizes: the universal suffering and cruelty of humanity. Through this narrative device, Japan's crimes as an aggressor and perpetrator in World War II are, to some extent, cleansed.

Thomas Kuhn developed a theoretical system centered on the concept of “paradigm” to explain scientific revolutions. As this concept gained popularity, it has also influenced the Chinese literary theory studies. However, scholars have barely reflected on the legitimacy of applying this interdisciplinary concept. Among the many interdisciplinary interpreters of the paradigm theory, Edgar Morin and Giorgio Agamben are the most representative, each constructing a distinct framework of interpretation based on one aspect of the concept. There is a clear difference between Chinese and Western academia in terms of applying the concept of paradigm in literary and art studies. Scholars in China tend to focus more on paradigmatic studies of literary theory, while the Western scholars conducted paradigmatic studies on both literature per se as well as literary theory. Such distinction lies in the failure to address the legitimacy of applying paradigm to literary studies beforehand. However, from the perspective of the disciplinary history of literary studies, paradigmatic studies focused on literary theory align more closely with Kuhn's original logic in inventing this concept.

Modernology studies human behavior and customary changes through on—site investigation of the social slices of the here and now, focusing on universal human affairs in universal environments. In the 20th century, the academic community proposed that literature was a theory of linguistics and human studies. In the 21st century, it further suggests that literature engages with spatial studies, thing theory, ecology, and cosmology. Modernology incorporates theories from various schools and is expected to evolve from the modern to postmodernity and post—classical narratology. It is also expected to develop into a narrative method that integrates scientificity, visuality, and interdisciplinarity. Exploring elements of modernology such as its origins, interdisciplinary transformation, the turn to embodiment, and diverse spaces, as well as envisioning future narratives such as AI—based modernology, holds essential methodological significance to promote the real—time and predictive research on global social culture.

Hermann Schmitz, a representative figure of new phenomenology, proposes the concept “free quale”— as a felt phenomenon detached from the object yet directly perceptible. It constitutes an independent aesthetic object that frees the quale from the constraints of situation and things through a special mode of “out—from—the—felt—body” perception. The free quale is neither the result of abstract analysis nor merely inherent in the subject's consciousness; rather, it arises from the joint activity of subject and object. It can evoke an infinite sense of space, underscore the immediacy of time dimension and generate the ecstasy of selflessness. The appearance of the free quale discloses the unique interactive relationship between body and object within aesthetic activity and expands the range of aesthetic objects. It is not an aesthetic object in the ordianry sense, but a non—objective object.

Although Hegel's systematic aesthetic theory reaches full maturity in his relatively later works, its origins can be traced back to his Jena period. During this time, Hegel's acute awareness of the problem of modernity led him to conceive of aesthetics as a reflective framework for through which to confront the fragmentation of modern society. With the establishment of his Jena philosophical project, Hegel began to incorporate art—understood as an autonomous domain—into the structure of his philosophical system. Consequently, the relation between art and philosophy was transformed into an internal articulation among the system's various components. Within this framework, the relations between art, religion, and philosophy unfold as moments in the self—realization of Absolute Spirit. Hegel's historical consciousness delineates the boundary between antiquity and the modern era, allowing him to classify different forms of art and to expose their disjunction from contemporary conditions. A close textual analysis of the Jena manuscripts thus sheds light on the evolving relationship between art and philosophy, as well as on Hegel's early formulation of the thesis concerning the end of art.

Since the 1990s, memory has been regarded as a process of dynamic reconstruction rather than the mere preservation and reproduction of images in formal practice. While all memories originate from past events, they are shaped by the gaps between the past and the present. This temporal tension endows all texts concerning memory construction with a distinctive vitality that differentiates them from static archives. The “vitality” of memory resides in its present condition and in the enchantment produced by media through which it is revisited. Digital images, however, dissolve the material presence of real objects and render imagination absolute, thereby raising new questions about image representation and the interpretation of memory. This article examines the “digital variation” and transmedia integration characteristic of contemporary image culture. It investigates the aesthetic strategies and memory projections of digital technologies—such as algorithms, codes, and projections—in shaping the overarching narrative of images. Furthermore, it explores how these digital means extend the ethical dimension of perception through the production of illusions.

Bernard Stiegler's critical analysis of the analogic gramme begins with the phonogramme produced by the phonograph, proceeds through the cinematogramme represented by cinema, and culminates in the comprehensive analogic gramme presented by television. From a media—theoretical perspective, he reinterprets Jacque Derrida's concept of spectrality, exposing the inevitable existential crisis under posthumanist conditions. Through the third retention as the technology of the analogic gramme, the human subject can “recall” and adopt the “specter” of “already there”, realize the différance of self—identity, and open up a future full of uncertain possibilities. However, due to the temporally discrete modality of the analogic gramme, the evolutionary process from the phonograph to television also marks a progressive intertwining of the human flow of consciousness with the technical flow of mechanical images. This convergence increasingly subjects human consciousness to the editing and modulation of the mechanical—image flows. When the mechanical—image flows are standardized by the global memory industry's archi—flux, the uncertain “specter” is promptly captured by the logic of capital, undermining the common differentiation between human and technology. In this way, Stiegler reveals the essence of the contemporary alienation in human—technology coexistence and indicates a path for technological—cultural critique and practice.

Regarding the question of how intelligent agents cognize things, Hubert Dreyfus, a phenomenologist positioned against symbolic AI, opposes the programmed artificial intelligence identified by mediation theory. Instead, he advocates for a “novice—to—mastery” skill acquisition model grounded in embodied action. By applying contact theory to reconstruct an AI agent's intuitive perception of objects, Dreyfus establishes a cognitive triad of “Embodiment—Brain—Intuition.” Dreyfus's highly prescient arguments fill the gap in current research on AI cognition in artificial intelligence films. Through the “embodied agent” in Gestalt holism, the certainty of agent cognition is realized in the form of “brain montage,” which, ultimately under the condition of “skillful coping,” reveals the fourth dimension in AI films: “intuition.”

Although artificial intelligence increasingly rivals the data processing capacity of the human brain, its intelligence can never equal that of humans, especially in the literary realm. Language, narration, and empathy serve as three key dimensions that distinguish human “storytelling” from that of artificial intelligence. First, is language merely a description and representation of the external world or an expression and manifestation of the speaker's individual perception? Second, is storytelling an inorganic assemblage of heterogeneous materials, or an organic synthesis of the storyteller's embodied memory and associations? Third, do humans understand the world through self—understanding, or understand themselves through understanding of the world? In other words, do they create imaginative and spiritual communities through storytelling, or do they become trapped in an “information cocoon” that isolates them from the world and atomizes their existence? Unlike human literary writing, artificial intelligence language models and automated writing systems are fundamentally disembodied. Consequently, they cannot grasp the true meaning of linguistic expressions or storytelling as grounded in embodied perception. For this reason, they are incapable of genuine empathy or emotional resonance.