Primary Study On Weiyuan's Aesthetical Idea

Weiyuan is a patriotic thinker, historian and poet in modern history in China, whose well-known opinion "to learn from westerner's advantageous stuff and make full use of them, then put westerners in a disadvantageous situation" and his patriotic works make him one of enlightenment thinker after the first Opium War period in Chinese modern history, and the research on Weiyuan mainly focuses on his enlightened and patriotic ideas, his poems, and so on.This dissertation is trying to study Weiyuan's aesthetics ideas, which is a vacancy in research field relating to Weiyuan study. Though he is not an esthetician, we could trace bits of his aesthetics ideas in his works, poems, experience and personality, and try to piece them together to form his aesthetics ideas in order to fully grasp what he is.This dissertation's main part is divided into three sectors—Weiyuan's natural, social, personality aesthetics ideas. The development of his aesthetics ideas influenced by Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism respectively, to certain different extends. Weiyuan's idea itself is rather complicated, with Confucianism educational background, in a traditional way, he tried many times in order to pass the exam which was especially designated for scholars in feudal society, he had strong desire to sever the country, sever the society. At the same time, Buddhism and Taoism's opinions also had deep influence on him, eventually he became a pious Buddhist believer, and confined himself to the temple in his late period of life .So we could draw a conclusion after synthesized analysis that Taoism's "zhen"(natural property or trueness), Confucianism's "shan" (benevolence or ethical harmony), Buddhism's "mei"(esthetical, beautiful), these aesthetics opinions lay solid foundation for his aesthetics ideas. Taoism's "zhen" features his natural aesthetics ideas, which is mostly represented in his mountain and river poems. Confucianism's "shan" builds his social aesthetics ideas, his patriotic spirits and deeds, his worry over the country, society and the people, these deliver this aesthetics opinion. Buddhism's "mei" and Confucianism's "shan" collectively contribute to his personality aesthetics ideas.