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“Kongqi” Theory and the Aesthetic Spirit of Chinese Film

  • Daoxin Li

    Daoxin Li is Professor and Vice Dean of the School of Arts at Peking University. He is Changjiang Distinguished Professor in Film Studies in China. His main teaching and research interests are Chinese film history, culture, theory, and criticism. He has published hundreds of papers on Chinese film. His major publications include: History of Chinese Film Criticism (1897–2000), History of Chinese Film Culture (1905–2004), History of Chinese Film Communication (1949–1979), Film and Television Criticism, and Theory and Criticism.

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Published/Copyright: April 4, 2023
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Abstract

Based on the traditional Chinese “kong view” and “qi view” of classical literature and art, this article aims to further construct localized Chinese film theory, by combining methods and approaches to media archeology, and comparing Chinese and foreign literary aesthetics and film art poetics. The ancient Chinese word “dianying” (electric shadow) basically carries the same connotations as the modern word “cinema”, which is internally connected. The “kong view” (empty) and the “qi view” constitute the Chinese aesthetic foundation for the “kongqi” (atmosphere) theory of Chinese film. This theory has been nourished by western aesthetics since the 1920s, absorbing both film spirit theory and film art poetics. With exchanges and dialogues between ancient and modern language, and between China and other countries, this article examines the ways in which the “kongqi” (atmosphere) theory has nurtured a large number of outstanding Chinese film authors, and highlights the aesthetic spirit of “One World One Qi” that is perceived in Chinese films.


Corresponding author: Daoxin Li, Peking University, Beijing, China, E-mail:

Translated by Lan Shu, Communication University of China, Beijing, China.


About the author

Daoxin Li

Daoxin Li is Professor and Vice Dean of the School of Arts at Peking University. He is Changjiang Distinguished Professor in Film Studies in China. His main teaching and research interests are Chinese film history, culture, theory, and criticism. He has published hundreds of papers on Chinese film. His major publications include: History of Chinese Film Criticism (1897–2000), History of Chinese Film Culture (1905–2004), History of Chinese Film Communication (1949–1979), Film and Television Criticism, and Theory and Criticism.

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Received: 2023-03-12
Accepted: 2023-03-12
Published Online: 2023-04-04
Published in Print: 2023-04-25

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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