Zhu Guangqian (朱光潛; 19 September 1897 – 6 March 1986) was one of the founder of the study of

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...

in 20th-century China.

History

Zhu graduated from the

Anhui Province Tongcheng Secondary School Tongcheng Secondary School () is a secondary school in Tongcheng, Anhui, China. Notable alumni * Chu Bo (zh: 儲波) - Former Governor of Hunan Province * Ci Yungui (zh: 慈云桂) - Government official * Fang Chih (zh: 方治) - Chinese dipl ...

. After earning his BA from Hong Kong University, he went abroad to study aesthetics at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

and

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

, then to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ea ...

where he earned his doctorate. Later, he returned to China to write ''The Psychology of Art'' (), ''On Poetry'' (), and ''A History of Western Aesthetics'' (), ''Letters on Beauty'' (). In the 1930s in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, Zhu Guangqian hosted a literary salon that met monthly to recite prose and poetry, east and west. Regulars included

Wen Yiduo Wen Yiduo (; 24 November 189915 July 1946) was a Chinese poet and scholar known for his nationalistic poetry. Wen was assassinated by the Kuomintang in 1946. Life Wen Yiduo was born Wén Jiāhuá () on 24 November 1899 in what is now Xishui ...

(),

Chen Mengjia Chen Mengjia (; 20 April 1911, in Nanjing – 3 September 1966, in Beijing) was a Chinese scholar, poet, paleographer and archaeologist. He was considered the foremost authority on oracle bones and was Professor of Chinese at Tsinghua University ...

(), Zhu Ziqing (), Zheng Zhenduo (), Feng Zhi (),

Shen Congwen Shen Congwen (28 December 1902 – 10 May 1988), formerly romanized as Shen Ts'ung-wen, was a Chinese writer who is considered one of the greatest modern Chinese writers, on par with Lu Xun. Regional culture and identity plays a much bigger rol ...

(),

Bing Xin Xie Wanying (; October 5, 1900 – February 28, 1999), better known by her pen name Bing Xin () or Xie Bingxin, was one of the most prolific Chinese women writers of the 20th century. Many of her works were written for young readers. She ...

(), Ling Shuhua (), Bian Zhilin (),

Lin Huiyin Lin Huiyin (; known as Phyllis Lin or Lin Whei-yin when in the United States; 10 June 1904 – 1 April 1955) was a Chinese architect and writer. She is known to be the first female architect in modern China and her husband the famed "Father of M ...

() and

Xiao Qian Xiao Qian (27 January 1910 – 11 February 1999), alias Ruoping (), was a famous essayist, editor, journalist and translator from China. His life spanned the country's history before and after the establishment of the People's Republic of C ...

(). These were pivotal figures in Republican literature, and it can perhaps be argued that the salon was important to the formation of the so-called Beijing style literature () of the period.

Portrait

Zhu Guangqian. A Portrait by Kong Kai Ming
at Portrait Gallery of Chinese Writers (Hong Kong Baptist University Library) 1986 deaths 1897 births Philosophers of art Educators from Anhui Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from Tongcheng, Anhui Chinese publishers (people) Writers from Anhui Tsinghua University faculty Peking University faculty Sichuan University faculty Wuhan University faculty Victims of the Cultural Revolution Aesthetics literature Republic of China translators People's Republic of China translators 20th-century Chinese translators National Southwestern Associated University faculty {{aesthetics-stub