Theory Of Aesthetic Implication Of The Zhou Dynasty Etiquette Culture

This paper studies the aesthetic connotations of etiquette cultures in ZhouDynasty, basing mainly on the materials such as documents on etiquettes of ZhouDynasty, works on etiquette cultures written by later scholars and modernarchaeological proofs. It illustrates the aesthetic orientations on“appropriateness”,“harmony”and“value exquisiteness and advocate plain”in etiquette cultures in ZhouDynasty from the angles of“etiquette”,“music”and“sacrificial vessels”respectively.This thesis consists of three chapters.Chapter One discusses the relationships between“manners”and“ceremonies”. Itgives out three kind of explanations about“ceremonies”:“meter legal”“instrumentsection”“meter”,exploring the pursuit of“appropriateness”in the etiquettes of theZhou Dynasty through the meter displayed in literati courtesy and ceremony. Crownceremony,wedding ceremongy,banquet ceremongy,diplomatic ceremongy and funeralceremongy in literati courtesy compliance with the standards of“appropriateness”onexpression of feelings and norm of conducts. What’s more, the concerns on man’sfeelings, artistic life ceremony and pure humanism in etiquettes of the Zhou Dynastypromotes the standard of“appropriateness”to an aesthetic realm.“meter”in theceremonies includes researches on“deportment”and“appearance”.“Deportment”includes sit ceremongy,station ceremongy,row ceremongy,kneel ceremongy andreceive ceremongy.“appearance”includes ornamentation,words and air. Moderateand elegant aesthetic pursuit in the meter of Zhou Dynasty is well proved through theresearches on these“deportment”and“appearance”.Chapter Two, which defines the relationships between“manners”and“music”atfirst, explains“harmony”before it analyzes dances accompanied by music and pomesin Zhou Dynasty. After that, it expounds the aesthetic pursuit of“harmony”in therituals and music cultures in Zhou Dynasty. Dances accompanied by music are madeup of music and dances. The aesthetic pursuit of“harmony”in dances accompaniedby music is proved through the understanding and classifying of instruments, tonesand music, the dividing of Da Wu,Xiao Wu and the art forms of Da Wu. The aesthetic pursuit of“harmony”is further demonstrated in poems like“Feng”,“Ya”and“Song”inZhou Dynasty.Chapter Three explains three levels of the meanings of“exquisiteness”and“plain”first of all, which is also the relationships between reason and sensibility, formand content and simple and magnificent. Then it finds the aesthetic orientation of“value exquisiteness and advocate plain”and in ritual culture in Zhou Dynastythrough examples of jade and bronze ware. Section Two studies aestheticorientation of“value exquisiteness and advocate plain”in Zhou Dynasty throughdevelopment of bronze ware and contrasts on art features of bronze ware in YinShangdynasty. In Section Three, the aesthetic orientation of“value exquisiteness andadvocate plaini”in jade ware cultures in Zhou Dynasty is illustrated by differentfunctions of jade ware like“difference between grade”and“endowed withfeelings”and handicrafts of jade ware like“being craved”and“not being craved”.In Conclusion, this thesis proposes that researches on etiquette cultures in ZhouDynasty will benefit developments of Chinese aesthetics and it is useful in remodelinghe national cultures.