The Path of Beauty: A Study of Chinese Aesthetics (Oxford in Asia Paperbacks) (Paperback)

by Li Zehou (Author), Gong Lizeng (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Even students of Chinese art will be amazed at the treasures in this album, drawn from libraries and museums all over China. From 3000-year-old engravings of mysterious, man-like creatures carved by nomadic tribes to murals on cave ceilings that rival the Sistine Chapel; from a terracotta army of horses and soldiers unearthed from an emperor's tomb to Song porcelain that glows as if alive, this magnificently illustrated survey will delight, astonish and inform. Li Zehou, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, provides a text notably free of academic jargon in this smooth translation. His discussions of esthetics are eye-opening, as when he contrasts Chinese nature painters' "imaginative realism"the portrayal of images evoked by a scenewith the more matter-of-fact Western realism. Yet he grounds each school or trend in a historical context, so we see, for instance, how the new humanism of Wei and Jin (220-420 A.D.) poetry, sculpture and calligraphy reflected a post-slave society awakening from fatalism and superstition. A revelatory volume, full of surprises.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
This strikingly beautiful book details the history of Chinese aesthetic theory from the earliest prehistoric periods through the Qing. Li discusses aesthetic theory and its manifestations in literature and music as well as in painting, calligraphy, decorative arts, and architecture. Careful to relate theoretical development to social history, he explains how such phenomena as Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and even slavery and the emancipation ofwomen have been expressed in theory and subject matter through the ages. A thought-provoking book with well-chosen and profuse illustrations.
- Patricia R. Hausman, Coll. of William and Mary Lib., Williamsburg, Va.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 16, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019586526X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195865264
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #598,164 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An in-depth look into the history of chinese aesthetics, May 22, 2000

By	Eric Mullis (Charlotte, N.C.) - See all my reviews

This book is exceptional in that it is a thorough journey through the long historical development of Chinese art. It begins with the Xia dynasty (2100-1600 B.C.) and ends with the Qing (1636-1911). It is, thus, an exposition of classical chinese art. The author discusses poetry, painting, calligraphy, and music as they changed and progressed through the ages. There is an emphasis on the development of Chinese society and the effects that it had on the arts. It is as if the arts act as a mirror that reflects the trends of society, whether they be progress, prosperity, war and bloodshed, etc. As an example, Dr. Li discusses the influence that religion had on the arts including Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. I enjoyed this work, however it appears that the author is well-versed specifically in the developments of Chinese poetry, for greater attention is paid to this art, the result being a glossing over of the other arts.