A Comparative Study On Chinese And Western Aesthetic Taste

As a sensory perception,taste has the unique aesthetic function. But it is often ignored by most aesthetic principle and theoretical works at home and abroad. In this paper, on the basis of previous related studies, we’ll comprehensively use the method of comparing Chinese and Western aesthetic to reveal the aesthetic principle of taste perception. And using it as a center, we can explore the different features of Chinese and western aesthetics.Firstly, the paper briefly describes the aesthetic taste of Chinese and Western and the related rheological process, macroscopic handles the relationship between taste and beauty from the perspective of aesthetic history; secondly, illustrates the causes of rheological process convergence and variance, as well as the differences of aesthetic taste between Chinese and Western Aesthetics; finally, overall analyzes the sense of taste in Chinese and Western aesthetic system, deepens the different features of Chinese and western aesthetics, and clears that the “taste” category is an important category which possesses unique aesthetic feature of Chinese nation. This paper points out, although the “taste” has experienced a aesthetic process of metaphysics to enter into the aesthetic field both in Chinese and western. However, its aesthetic theory in Chinese and western has a distinct position and value. In the western aesthetic tradition, which based on rationality, compared to the visual and aural perception, taste doesn’t have the aesthetic and cognitive function to grasp the rational content of things because of its utilitarian and materiality. So taste is called the lower sensory, excluded from the aesthetic dimension in a very long time. In contrast with the western aesthetic theory, Chinese aesthetics, which based on experience and comprehension, emphasizes on intuition and aesthetic life. Chinese aesthetics promote the “flavor” of life to the level of philosophy, then into the aesthetic field, gradually become the core category of the theoretical system of Chinese aesthetic experience. Thus it is no exaggeration to say that the taste aesthetics is one of the important symbol to distinguish the aesthetic characteristics in China and west.All in all, the academic research on the aesthetic differences of Chinese and western taste helps us to recognize the forming principle of aesthetic "taste", and realize the aesthetic "taste" is in the core position in Chinese classical aesthetics. At the same time, it can also provide some theory reference for western taste category.