Xing’s Transformations After the Tang Dynasty

Abstract

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the understanding of Xing deepened in a new direction, which, drawing on the current cultural developments, took on a new appearance by simultaneously serving political purposes and aesthetic appreciation. During the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, a variety of schools of thought rose and developed in the study of Xing and made a few influential contributions. Among those, the ideas of “style,” “temperament” and “romantic appeal” are typical, enriching and broadening its definition based on independent systems of understanding of Bi and Xing, a key Chinese traditional interpretation of the object–response relationship.