The Lofty Passion For Jade Of The Intellectuals And The Aesthetic Appreciation In The Wei-Jin Northern And Southern Dynasties

Jade culture plays an important role in Chinese traditional aesthetic appreciation culture.Jade has become the symbol of beauty and the role model of human beings since theintellectuals of Pre-Qin Dynasty defined jade in various ways. The thesis aims to vividlyinterpret jade’s distinctive characteristics such as the luster, purity, delicacy based on the studyof the Ancient Literature、the aesthetic appreciation of the intellectuals and jade culture,especially the statements and actions of the intellectuals and the literatures in the Wei-JinNorthern and Southern Dynasties. The first part of the thesis discusses about the relation ofjade’s faithfulness and mildness and the formation of the Bi De concept among the Wei-JinNorthern and Southern people. Subsequently, the second part discusses how jade’s beauty anddelicacy nature relates to the aesthetic appreciation in the Wei-Jin Northern and SouthernDynasties. The third part discusses that the two major aesthetic values of jade (Naturality andFlexibility) bring about the literatures of different styles in the Jin-Nan Dynasties, whichprovides a new perspective of the study of the Wei-Jin Northern and Southern Literature and theAesthetics.