The Research Of Liu Zongyuan's Environmental Aesthetic Thought

Environmental aesthetics which study the environment surrounding us is one subject of aesthetics. Although from of old, there is no environmental aesthetic theory in China, the Chinese classic landscape poetries and articles, even the Chinese philosophy possess abundant environmental aesthetic thoughts. Among at this situation, in my paper I will take western environmental aesthetics as a starting point and then focus on Liu Zongyuan's landscape poetries and articles in which contain the environmental aesthetic thoughts. I will try to reveal the beginning and development of every aesthetic proposition through diffusive method in order to interpret these aesthetic propositions. This paper consists of three parts: first of all, what and how to appreciate the environment. Secondly, how to beautify and design the environment. Thirdly, what is the aesthetic value of the environment? Every part consists of many environmental aesthetic propositions which are not put forward definitely by Liu Zongyuan, but by the author's efforts, especially in the second part of this thesis. In the first part named "environmental aesthetic appreciate", I try my best to generalize seven important propositions from Liu Zongyuan's landscape poetries and articles. The seven propositions that are "wondering in the environment", "put oneself into the environment in order to experience the spirit of the environment", " men's emotion make the environment vivid", "compare the river to decorative pattern and music", "Although the environment is beautiful, men who live in it make the environment more beautiful", "Whether the environment is beautiful is judged by human beings" and "human beings and the environment become an organism". With reference to the seven propositions about what and how to aesthetically appreciate the environment, I bring forward a viewpoint many environmental aesthetic models, that is engagement approach(Arnold Berleant) , art approach, moral approach, empathy approach and metaphysics approach. In the second part named "beautify and design the environment", I want to find out the thoughts which is covered up in Liu Zongyuan's landscape poetries and articles in relation to the environment's style. Although Liu Zongyuan indefinitely put forward how to beautify and design the environment, we can also earn some thoughts from his landscape poetries and articles. There are three important viewpoints called "pursue naturalness and spontaneousness", "pursue the profound and wonder style", "adapt to part work and part study". His(Liu Zongyuan)environmental design thoughts inherit and develop the conventional aesthetic theory of Chinese classic garden. So according to his thoughts, a lot of artists make great progress on built environment. In the third part named "the environmental aesthetic value", Liu Zongyuan bring forward two important propositions. I try to make best use of the two propositions and generalize the ancient landscape poetries and articles which contain plenty of environmental aesthetic value. I classify the environmental aesthetic value consisting of amusing the sense, in favor of people's healthy lives, influencing the society, encouraging spiritual improvement, making people's sublime and experiencing "Dao".