On The Aesthetics Of Everyday Life In Treatise On Superfluous Things

The study of Aesthetics of Everyday Life (AEL) has been brought into focus around Chinese and western academic circles in recent years. In this context, we should consider how to find AEL in China, reveal Chinese discourse and local experience of AEL and make the Chinese scholars’ studies concerning AEL have universal theoretical value in order to make contributions to the theory of AEL. We may explore AEL in ancient China. However, studies of AEL in Ming and Qing Dynasties which are regarded as the peak of AEL in ancient China center on Li Yu’s Casual Expressions of Idle Feeling, the Aesthetics of Everyday Life in Treatise on Superfluous Things (AELTST) by Wen Zhenheng is greatly ignored. This research paper aims to demonstrating the unique everyday aesthetic taste of late-Ming literati represented by Wen Zhenheng and cultural condition during this period, contributing to the theory of AEL and people’s aesthetic existence so as to highlight the Chinese wisdom and contribution of AEL and promote the in-dept exploration of everyday life in aesthetics.AELTST refers to that in Treatise on Superfluous Things (TST), Wen Zhenheng regarded aesthetic as a kind of life consciousness and lifestyle, and built up the aesthetic dimension of everyday life in order to go beyond mediocre life and achieve the freedom and sublimation of his spirit. AELTST which was influenced by several factors involving Jiangnan environment, AEL of late Ming literati and Wen’s own family tradition was not accidental.Wen Zhenheng did his aesthetic practice of everyday life in TST. To begin with, he defamiliarized everyday life by creating four different kinds of life contexts in terms of natural, picturesque, literati and scenic spots. The life contexts which showed the temperament and personality of literati were tranquil and elegant. Additionally, Wen Zhenheng took an aesthetic attitude towards daily things by using, evaluating, appreciating and enjoying it so as to adding the aesthetic dimension to the daily things. What’s more, Wen Zhenheng made everyday life exquisite and delicate by taking the details of everyday life into aesthetic consideration, which especially reflected in his aesthetic arrangement of flower and tea. It was through above three aspects, Wen Zhenheng obtained aesthetic pleasure in everyday life so as to transform and modify the daily life, and improve the quality of life.AELTST has dual functions to Wen Zhenheng himself and social. The function to Wen Zhenheng himself refers to his expression of an ideal life and construction of his self-image. The function to social refers to the completion of the criticism and leading of the social lifestyle, as well as the distinction and identification of social status. Besides, the function of AELTST has its complexity.AELTST can contribute to the theory of AEL. From AELTST, we can sum up three key theoretical issues of AEL with regard to the aesthetic object of everyday life, aesthetic experience of everyday life and the relationship between life and art. The type of aesthetic object of everyday life includes thing, environment and activity of everyday life, which has something to the system of AEL. The way of aesthetic experience of everyday life includes contemplation, engagement associated with mind and body, and cognition. The characteristic of aesthetic experience of everyday life is the unification of "ordinary" and "extraordinary". The "art" in AEL has rich meanings and it can fully realize its integration with life. After "The end of art" in the philosophical and historical sense, the potential of art can be developed in everyday life and the value of art can be examined and confirmed by everyday life.AELTST can impose its impact on people’s aesthetic existence nowadays. First of all, AELTST can correct some drawbacks of contemporary "the aestheticization of everyday life" and become another possibility of it. Also, the case that "TST" become household brand not only contributes to the positive interaction of aesthetic and consumption, but also reflects the aesthetic economic efficiency of AELTST. Last but not least, AELTST tells us that we can develop the taste and style of everyday life through cultivating the aesthetic attitude of everyday life, improving the aesthetic taste of everyday life and attaining the aesthetic realm of everyday life so as to optimize the existence state of self and others.AELTST is not only an AEL case of17th century in late Ming China and Wen Zhenheng’s individual AEL, but also shows a kind of eastern life consciousness, taste and wisdom in the cross-cultural perspective, offers us a kind of AEL mode and contributes to the construction and development of contemporary aesthetics.