Critique of Wang Guoweis Gu Ya Theory and the Establishment of Veneration of Antiquity

Abstract

Wang Guoweis Gu Ya theory is considered one of the most influential aesthetic theories in modern China but has not been taken seriously in western scholarship. In this theory, Wang Guowei tries to oppose Kant's theory of genius by claiming that everyone should be able to create beauty. Wang Guowei focuses heavily on the Chinese literati instead of the whole population to which Kant refers. I found the Gu Ya theory implausible for either the Chinese literati or the peasants because the two points that Wang Guowei provides, the first form and the markedness, would be considered inadequate to prove his arguments. Besides that, one reason the Gu Ya theory fails to achieve its goal is the ignorance of the veneration of antiquity, which is significant in Chinese aesthetic appreciation. We must find solutions to either solve or refine the Gu Ya theory in order to accelerate the development of Chinese aesthetics. I firstly criticized and corrected the ambiguity of Wang Guoweis the first form and the misunderstanding of the concepts of marked and unmarked in Chinese literature. Then, I established the veneration of antiquity as my aesthetic theory that fits the Chinese literati. In the end, I posted a thought about Wang Guoweis idea of wu ren in his Gu Ya theory because he does not clarify and fails to build a connection with Kants theory.