A Study Of Aesthetic Culture Of Natural Mythology In The Han Dynasty

Since Han Dynasty is the golden period of Chinese natural mythology, scholars have obtained great accomplishments in the study of Han natural mythology. But these studies rarely analyze it from the perspective of aesthetic culture. The paper investigates and hackles systematically the new development, the image, the emotion, and the cultural connotation of Han natural mythology, and analyzes the origin, evolution of Han natural mythology and the influence on later literary art and natural aesthetic by collecting and studying the classics, literature and Han portrait stone materials. The paper is divided into four parts.The first part of the paper analyzes the image and emotional experience of the Celestial myths of Han Dynasty. It mainly discusses the image evolution and its aesthetic emotion of Sun myths of Han Dynasty, and the image and its life consciousness of the Moon myths of Han Dynasty, and the image prototype of the Moon myths and the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid of the Star myths. We can also explore various characteristics of natural immortals in celestial myths including wind, rain, thunder, frost myth and etc. In addition, the paper tries to analyze the romantic aesthetic consciousness contained in Cloud myths of Han Dynasty.The second part mainly investigates the religious consciousness and aesthetic connotation of the myths of mountains and rivers in Han Dynasty. The author think that the Nv Wa patching the sky in Han Dynasty not only shows natural formidable power, but also reflects the male great boldness of vision of Han people’s unique conquering nature, the myth combines the ancient sacrificial rites and immortal tales. These thoughts—the religious sacrifice and the worship of heaven and earth, the life emotion of soul belonging to Mount Tai of Mount Tai myth and the immortal thought, the sense of longevity and landscape worship both in Mount Kunlun and Mount Sanshen myths—can reflect the new religious and aesthetic connotation of the myths of mountains and rivers in Han Dynasty.The third part is mainly about the research of Han animal and plant myths. It inquires into the awareness development and the cultural connotation of Han people to the animals (including fantasy Dragon, Phoenix, Kylin) from scared worship to secular appreciation (be applied to daily cultural life). This paper also discusses the moral significance of Han auspicious birds and creatures, and put great emphasis on religious emotion, longevity expectation, the original totem worship and the sense of life of Han people contained in plant myth of mulberry, peach trees, alkanet, and so on.The fourth part attempts to analyze the influence on natural aesthetics from Han natural mythology. The influence mainly reflects on these aspects:the animism and analogy of Han natural mythology and the communication of aesthetic experience ways; the permeate of Yin-yang thought, Five elements and Eight Diagrams shows rich natural space aesthetic awareness contained in Han natural mythology; the rich emotional experience of Han people on nature in Han natural mythology and the influence on later natural aesthetic from the establishment of the aesthetic subject of Han natural mythology. All of them contribute to establish a broader and pure aesthetic relationship between human and nature.