Subject Area: Chinese Studies
This course can also be studied in the following specialisations: Asian Studies, Women's and Gender Studies

This course is designed to explore the experiences and representations of beauty in Chinese culture. You will examine the intersections where philosophical ideas (Daoism, Buddhism as well as Confucianism) and literary conventions influence Chinese concepts of beauty, including China’s long history of erotica, as reflected in both written and visual texts. You will examine different spheres of beauty in Chinese culture, including the human body, family life, society and nature. You will consider questions such as: What underpins the notion of beauty in pre-modern China? Who/What are considered beautiful, and why? Have aesthetic values changed over time? How? What accounts for the rich repertoire of poetic / artistic images and motifs that tap into thousand of years of Chinese history? What is the desired balance between yin & yang, and between feminine beauty and masculine attractiveness? Such questions and more will be investigated in the light of Chinese cosmos and cross-cultural contexts.The course intends to teach you how to critically analyze and appreciate both the written and visual texts as a cultural artifact and symbolic expression of aesthetic values.