An Analysis of the Research Categories of Aesthetics in Contemporary China

This paper aims to present the direction in which aesthetic research in East Asian countries should move forward through the analysis of Chinese aesthetic research trends that have developed discussions about aesthetics into a grand de–bate called aesthetic popularity (美學熱). “Aesthetics” was received relatively early during the modernization process in East Asian countries, but due to its conflicting characteristics of “ambiguity” and “inclusiveness” that created obstacles to its development it could not obtain its status as an academic discipline. Meanwhile, aesthetic research in China today has grown rapidly and maintains a world-class level in terms of scale and research performance. This paper inquires the background of the development of aesthetic research in China and subsequently analyzes the research trends of contemporary Chinese aesthetics in five categories to examine the status of current aesthetic research.