Hot Spot Observation •The Contemporary Expression of Sublime Beauty

■ On the Formation and New Changes in the Sublime as An Aesthetic Category （PP. 4–11）Gao Jianping

Abstract: The sublime is an aesthetic category with a long history. It originated in ancient times and was finalized in modern times, promoting the Romantic movement in art and playing an important role in contemporary art. An in-depth study of the sublime category can help revisit the relationship between aesthetics and art in contemporary times and promote the development of art theory and art practice.

Keywords: sublime, classicism, romantism, Avant-garde, contemporaneity

■On the Creation of Sublime Beauty in Chinese Animation in the New Era:Taking Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child, Jiang Ziya and 30,000 Miles to Chang'an as Examples （PP. 12–21）Pan Jian

Abstract: The "Sublime", as a concept of literary aesthetics, was first put forward by Longinus in ancient Greece, and has been present in classical masterpieces of the past and the present. The creation of sublime beauty has begun to emerge in the creation of Chinese animation in the New Era, and the representative works include Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child, Jiang Ziya and 30,000 Miles to Chang'an. The creation of sublime beauty is specifically manifested in three aspects: firstly, great thoughts: the concern and expression of the destiny of the individual, and the country and the nation; secondly, glorious souls: the portrayal of courageous and resolute characters who are full of virtues and passion; and thirdly, the expression of majesty and wonder: the use of epic-like structures and spectacular images. "Sublime beauty creation" is the core aesthetic pursuit of the "New Chinese School of Animation" rebuilt in the New Era after the decline of the past "Chinese School of Animation", which marks the maturity of Chinese national animation.

Keywords: Chinese animation in the New Era, sublime beauty, great thoughts, glorious souls, expression of majesty and wonder

■The Sublime Beauty in Contemporary Paintings:The Magnificent Imagery and Radiance of Personality in the Creation of Art in the New Era （PP.22–31）Yu Yang

Abstract: As an important conceptual category in Chinese and Western aesthetics and philosophy of art, "sublime" has become an intriguing topic, as to what kind of evolutionary factors it presents in the particular context of the New Era, and how it is transformed into specific images and perceivable imagery through the language of visual art and plastic art. In the view of this article, the "sublime" imagery in the creation of art in the New Era has the characteristics of multiple dimensions and styles, which not only refers to the subjective intrinsic personalities in moral and social senses and the relationship between man and nature in emotional sense, but also demonstrates cultural Inheritance and feelings of patriotism throughout history, as well as physical achievements showing magnificent social landscape and the advancement of times. With discussions in each dimension of these four folds of sublime imagery and different conceptual categories while analyzing typical art works, this article thoroughly explores the visual art laws and ideological connotations displayed by the portraiture of exemplary figures, the progress of the nation, the natural scenery and the social-industrial spectacle in the creation of fine arts since the beginning of the New Era.

Keywords: sublime, Chinese art, plastic art, New Era, summoning mechanism

■Musical Presentation of Sublime Beauty:Taking the Musical Works as Revolutionary Literature and Art as An Example （PP. 32–39）Li Shiyuan

Abstract: As an aesthetic category, the "sublime" has different but similar meanings in ancient and contemporary China and the West, and there is a "fusion of horizons". In this "fusion of horizons", the "sublime" in Chinese musical works, as an aesthetic imagery, is more often presented as a counterbalance between the moral force of reason and the force of dissent, a kind of "pleasure" coming from "pain", that is, a romantic sentiment that transcends suffering, a value identity that transcends the ego, a tragic spirit that transcends death, and ultimately in the context of revolutionary literature and art becomes an aesthetic category closely related to revolutionary romanticism, heroism and the spirit of sacrifice and dedication. As a result, the "sublime beauty" is presented as a kind of transcendent temperament, a noble character, and a sublime temperament.

Keywords: sublime beauty, revolutionary literature and art, Chinese music, fusion of horizons

■The Sublime Aesthetic Expression of Chinese TV Dramas in the New Era （PP. 40–51）Huang Zhongjun

Abstract: Since the beginning of the New Era, under the guidance of the Party's policies and guidelines, a series of TV dramas have been broadcast in the field of literature and art with the noble spirit as the main theme of expression, among which, there are TV dramas with major revolutionary historical themes focusing on the history of the revolution, as well as TV dramas as realistic mirrors depicting ordinary people or the achievements of the times. The thematic content and formal expression of these TV dramas are highly compatible, not only tapping into the sublime ideological function of audiovisual language, but also stimulating the audience's inner sublime feelings by way of tragic writing. The phenomenon of excessive pursuit of heat and gimmicks exists in the current TV drama market, so we need to discuss the sublime creation again. The expression of sublime aesthetics has completed the inquiry of the audience subject, but also smoothed out the fissure of alienation of modernity, awakening the people's sublime heart.

Keywords: sublime aesthetics, Chinese TV drama, major revolutionary historical theme, people's nature

Diverse and Extensive Art Phenomena

■ "Database-driven" Collaborative Creation and "Transformative Communication":Interactive Relationship between Contemporary Literary Criticism and Literary Creation （PP. 52–62）Yin Yiyi

Abstract: Criticism has long served as a reflective mirror for literary and artistic creation, shaping and evaluating its aesthetic value, cultural significance, and public reception while also offering critical insights for future creative development. In the era of social media, the subjects, content, forms, and channels of literary criticism have undergone significant transformations. Traditional, interpretive, and retrospective modes of criticism have expanded into more immediate, interactive, and generative forms, broadening the scope of literary discourse. Consequently, the ways in which criticism engages with and influences literary and artistic creation have also changed. This article introduces the concepts of "database-driven" collaborative creation and "transformative communication" to analyze the emerging forms of literary criticism and their impact on literary production. In contemporary literary culture, diverse modes of criticism share a textual "database" with literary creation, mutually enriching each other by providing dynamic resources for co-creation. Meanwhile, broad, "transformative" criticism facilitates the multidimensional and multichannel dissemination of literary works, reshaping the landscape of literary engagement in the digital age.

Keywords: literary criticism, database-driven consumption, collaborative creation, transformative communication

■ From "Going Global" to "Co-creation":The Innovative Evolution of Chinese Internet Literature and Art in International Communication （PP. 63–75）Fu Lizhuo

Abstract: In recent years, Internet literature and art, as the forefront of Chinese arts, has been flourishing on the international stage with its unique charm and robust vitality. The international communication of Chinese Internet literature and art has demonstrated new characteristics and trends in media innovation and algorithmic empowerment, user participation and fan culture, micro-narrative and emotional resonance, and market orientation with government-enterprise collaboration. However, this communication process still faces challenges such as imbalanced communication patterns, cultural adaptation difficulties, and insufficient value transmission. Based on the theory of intersubjectivity, constructing a diversified collaborative communication ecosystem, promoting cross-cultural adaptive production innovation, enhancing cultural identity through two-way exchanges, and deepening intelligent communication through human-machine collaboration can enhance the effectiveness of international communication of Internet literature and art, thereby promoting cultural exchange, mutual learning, and the coexistence and co-prosperity of civilizations.

Keywords: internet literature and art, international communication, symbiotic development, intersubjectivity, intelligent communication

■ "Translation" and "Difference":The Flux, Adaptation, and Interpretation of The Classic of Mountains and Seas in Japan （PP. 76–89）Sun Meng

Abstract: The Classic of Mountains and Seas, as an encyclopedic museum journal originated in the pre-Qin period, is the convergence of the core spiritual symbol and profound cultural essence of Chinese civilization. As to its journey from the east to Japan or before its origin from Nara, it has circulated in different historical periods through various forms of literature and art, realizing its deep penetration of cross-media and cross-genre, and has profoundly contributed to the conception, change and development of Japanese culture in the course of more than a thousand years of history. In this article, we focus on the historical background of the introduction of The Classic of Mountains and Seas into Japan and the process of translation and change, and analyze the path and mechanism of its gradual integration into Japan's local cultural context through the interpretation and reconstruction of multiple subjects, such as the aristocracy, the general public, sinologists, and modern intellectuals. In this way, a typical example of the eastward transmission of Chinese books reveals the influence of the traditional Chinese knowledge system on the composition of the Japanese nation and its cross-cultural interpretive power in keeping with the times.

Keywords: The Classic of Mountains and Seas, Japan, Chinese culture, translation, adaptation, mutual learning among civilizations

Theoretical Explorations

■ Far: The Easy Time and Space of Chinese Literature and Art （PP. 90–100）Wang Zijun

Abstract: "Far" originally refers to space and time, and is an important concept in Chinese literature and aesthetics. Zhuang Zi in the pre-Qin era used "far" as the concept of spiritual freedom, blending the distance between space and time through the tension of the spirit, creating the image of freedom of personality, and its influence extended to Liu Xie's "Spiritual Thought Theory". The poetics of the Six Dynasties, the Tang and Song dynasties created and expanded the concept of "far" in combination with literary conception, and further combined the concept of "far" with "far in mind". The painting theories of the Song Dynasty re-discussed the distance between near and far, creating the "Three Distances Method", and made an outstanding exposition of the spiritual tension of this concept, elevating it to the realm of category, which influenced the field of literature and art thereafter. The spirit of aesthetic freedom contained in the category of "far" has constructed the carefree space and time for Chinese literature and art and manifested the cultural characteristics of Chinese literature and art that are different from those of Western literature and art.

Keywords: far and near, carefree, spiritual thought, mind, Three Distances Method

Art Beyond China

■ Affect and Ethics:Reflections on Contemporary Euro-American Interdisciplinary Literary and Art Criticism （PP. 101–113）Zhang Zhen

Abstract: "The Sokal Affair" in 1996 had not only generated a "science war" in the disciplines of the humanities and sciences but also aroused sentiments of self-evaluation in the field of literary and art criticism. In the past twenty years or so literary and art critics questioned and reevaluated the dominant methods of literary criticism in the second half of the twentieth century. Bruno Latour, critics of the so-called postcritique discourse such as Eve Kosofsky Sedgewick and Rita Felski, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak have attended to the question of the literary and art criticism from the perspectives of the power of criticism, affect and ethics, respectively. The question of the limit of interdisciplinary studies is being proposed and at the same time new types of interdisciplinarity are being reactivated in the new horizon of critical mood, methods and discourse.

Keywords: interdisciplinary, literary and art criticism, postcritique, affect theory, planetarity

Interview with Renowned Experts

■ Persisting in Action without Slackening, and Toiling without Ceasing:An Interview with Calligrapher Zhang Hai （PP. 114–124）Interviewed by Zhao Shenzhu

Inside Front Cover

Chinese Literary Critics: Zhou Zhiqiang

Inside Back Cover

Recommendation of Important Academic Organizations in Literary and Art Theory and Criticism:Chinese Society for Aesthetics

Back Cover 

New Book Recommendation: Essentials of Chinese Literature and Art Criticism Volume I