Philosophical reconstruction of the Xieyi tradition and its aesthetic transformation in the digital media space.
The article analyzes the contemporary state of the Xieyi (写意) aesthetics in the context of the transformation of cultural practices influenced by digital media and user-generated content platforms. The subject of the study is the interaction between traditional Chinese aesthetics and new forms of visual and media aesthetic culture, manifested in the changes of artistic expression, perception, and modes of cultural consumption in the conditions of mediatisation and algorithmic logic of digital platforms. Special attention is paid to how traditional categories of Chinese aesthetics are reinterpreted and reproduced in the digital environment, acquiring new meanings, functions, and formats. The aim of the work is to identify the mechanisms of adaptation of the philosophical and artistic tradition of Xieyi to the networked cultural space, the specifics of the mediatisation of Xieyi aesthetics, and its functioning in polar modes of mass and elite culture. The methodological foundation of the research consists of interdisciplinary approaches of modern cultural philosophy, aesthetics, and media studies, as well as phenomenological and Daoist ontology of artistic experience. A comprehensive cultural analysis is combined with philosophical hermeneutics and comparative methods, allowing the aesthetics of Xieyi to be viewed as a system of meanings transitioning from traditional art to digital communication. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the development of the concept of "dual aesthetics of Xieyi," reflecting the dialectic of mass and elite artistic experience in the era of digitalization. A distinction is made between "everyday Xieyi," focused on emotional expression in the realm of user-generated content, and "conceptual Xieyi," which retains the philosophical depth and autonomy of art. It is shown that their interaction shapes a new ontology of art – an ontology of process, in which meaning emerges in the networked movement between the subject, media, and audience. It is concluded that contemporary Xieyi aesthetics represent a model of cultural adaptation and continuity, connecting the spiritual heritage of Chinese civilization with the philosophy of the digital age. The digital adaptation of Xieyi carries both the potential for cultural continuity and the risk of losing philosophical depth, forming a dual vector for its development in modern culture.
Authors
- Zhuoyi Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8869-788X)
- Yuliya Valentinovna Ivanova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0434-5175)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Философия и культура
- Published
- 2025-10-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7256/2454-0757.2025.10.76413
- Primary Topic
- Digital Education and Society
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00