ABSTRACTS

An Ecological Approach to the Aesthetic Experience of Whiteheads Organic Philosophy

Zeng Yongcheng

In Whiteheads organic philosophy， aesthetic experience with its three-fold structure is an interactive and mutualistic reality that shows the inherent ecological nature of the generating process of the real world. The harmonious and lively ideal that people seek in their aesthetic experience leads and propels the creative process of the real world during which the increase in the feeling intensity has a more profound generating function. This kind of subjective view of aesthetic experience is strongly practical as it attaches great importance to the function that aesthetic feelings have to criticize real things.

A Review of Zeng Yongchengs Aesthetic ResearchChen Dingjia & Wang Qing

Professor Zeng Yongcheng is a renowned contemporary aesthete and theorist on literature and art. Among his academic writings， Nurturing Beauty from Beauty， Green Thought on Literature and Art and Back to Practical Anthropology are not only three milestones in the development of his aesthetic ideas but also individuality-featured representative works in the aesthetic as well as literary and artistic theorization in contemporary China. Zengs research is of great importance to theories and academic history for uncovering the changing process of aesthetic and cultural spirits in China since reform and opening-up， and reflecting from one perspective the features and zeitgeist of contemporary research on literature and art in the new era.

The Pioneering Work of Establishing Humanistic EcoaestheticsLiu Huainan

Professor Zeng Yongcheng's research on ecological literature and art and ecoaesthetics is undertaken in the framework of practical anthropology and based on Marx and Engels' generative ontology and humanistic ecology. Moreover， professor Zeng focuses on the ecological construction of the relationship between man and nature which is the new form of Marxist literary theory. Meanwhile， “sense of rhythm” as the core category of the construction plays an important role in revealing the ontological characteristics of aesthetic activities.

Zeng Yongcheng and His Thought on Ecological Literature and ArtSong Jian

Professor Zeng Yongcheng highlights unique academic features in his works on ecological aesthetics and ecological literature and art. In his early work Green Thought on Literature and Art he discussed the nature， formation and development of literature and art and put forward “sense of rhythm” theory and “natural generation” theory from the perspective of human ecology and the naturally generated sense of beauty. In his later years， he shifted his academic focus to the study of Alfred North Whitehead， Dewey and ecological wisdom in traditional Chinese culture. He turned his in-depth exploration of western and Chinese ecological wisdom into academic monographs and treatises. By interpreting Whiteheads theory of aesthetic experience and ecophilosophy， he proposed the original beauty of the universe which can help us to see the mystique and profundity of the world with a touch of poetry and awe.

Being towards Beauty： An Interview with Professor Zeng Yongcheng on His Ecoaesthetics ResearchAi Lian

Based on Marx and Engels philosophical ideas， professor Zeng Yongchengs research on humanistic ecoaesthetics develops a new and influential method in Chinas booming ecoaesthetic academia. This article is an academic interview sponsored by Journal of Poyang Lake with professor Zeng on his ecoaesthetics.

The Growth of SignsWinfried N■th

The paper discusses the theory of semiosis in the context of Peirces philosophy of evolution. Focussing on the thesis that symbols grow by incorporating indices and icons， it proposes answers to the following questions： What does Peirce mean by the “self-development of signs” in nature and culture and by symbols as living things？ How do signs grow？ Do all signs grow， or do only symbols grow？ Does the growth of signs presuppose semiotic agency， and if so， who are the agents in semiosis when signs and sign systems grow？ The paper discusses objections raised by culturalists and historical linguists against the assumption that signs can still grow and are still growing in complex cultures， and it draws parallels and points out differences between Peirces theory of semiotic growth and the theories of memetics and teleosemiotics.

Semioethics and Responsibility： Life， Signs and the OtherSusan Petrilli

Based on a systematic combing of ethical thoughts towards semiotics in the vision of global semiotics， this paper illustrates explicitly the concept of semioethics. Human beings are semiotic animals， and more than that， they are semioethic animals； hence， in this universe of semiosis， especially in the present context of global communications， it requires that human beings learn to listen and care for the other as the subjects of dialogic and relational entity， and come up as responsible actors capable of signs， of signs of signs， of mediation， reflection， and awareness in relation to semiosis over the entire planet.

On Land ethics of TaoismHuang Xinhua

Taoism regards land as the mother， thinks highly of the value that land nurtures mankind， and proposes that man should respect land like his mother and respect every element of the land ecosystem so as to live in accordance with the laws of the land ecosystem. Taoism also believes that only by following the rules of the land can man be endowed with fortune and happiness or misfortune if he doesnt. The land ethics of Taoism is of great significance for solving today's land pollution problems.

Introduction of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Development of Environmental Governance Thought in the Period of the Republic of ChinaLi Ronghua

Chinese and foreign scholars investigated soil and water loss and soil erosion in China and published related academic works with the introduction of soil and water conservation science in the period of the Republic of China. Central and local governments established soil and water conservation laboratories， made laws and regulations， and organized technical experts to find methods and take measures to solve the problem of soil loss and water erosion. The governance mode led by governments and supported by experts changed the environmental awareness of Chinese Society and facilitated the development of environmental governance thought.

On the Relationship Between Man and Nature of the Yuan Dynasty Capital Based on the Findings of XijinzhiFang Wanpeng

Xijinzhi， literally meaning history of Xijin， one of the former names of Beijing， is the earliest local chronicle of Beijing， which is of great important to the study of environmental history because of recording large amounts of information about the relationship between man and nature of the Yuan dynasty capital. The livelihood of the residents living in the Yuan dynasty capital， like clothing， food， housing and travel， was closely related to the surrounding resources. The special technical patterns of adapting to and transforming nature were formed in the process of utilizing resources， while the customs and calendars came into being on the basis of ecological awareness and practice reflecting the conditions at that time.

On the Relationship between the Building of Dayuling Road， the Opening of Gan River Traffic and Shigushen Belief in Tang DynastyWu Jiehua

As one of the most influential gods that the Hakkas in south China have worshipped till today， Shigushen（Stone God）is believed to have been a stone which was then personified. Shigushen belief is closely related to the development of south China， namely， the building of Dayuling road in Tang dynasty during which Dayuling road and Gan River became more and more important. However， giant stones in Gan area were obstacles to the traffic of Dauyuling Road and Gan River. Shigushen belief originated from the natural phenomenon of autonomous swelling of Gan River which helped people safely pass the stones in the river and could temporarily solve the traffic problem， hence Shigushen rose from a locally worshipped god to a nationwide one. Shigushen belief has flourished with changes in its development process which in fact is the result of interactions between economy， environment and culture.

On the Environmental Consciousness of Shanxi People in Nearly Five Hundred Years Based on the Study of Stele InscriptionsHan Qiangqiang

Environmental consciousness has become a field of environmental history research that needs more exploration to which stele inscriptions are important materials. Because of the conflict between land and farmers， most of the 115 inscribed steles were set up in the southeast of Shanxi Province mainly during the period between 1700 and 1950.Due to the change of administrative patterns， the period of the Republic of China （1912-1949） witnessed the change that steles were built by the government instead of ordinary people. The environmental consciousness of Shanxi people in nearly five hundred years has been reflected in their perception of environmental change， investigation of environmental deterioration， explanation of environmental protection and countermeasures against environmental problems. Besides， the environmental consciousness of Shanxi people has its own characteristics that include being？scientific instead of being superstitious， being governmental instead being nongovernmental， and being ineffective， however. The positive environmental sense of both government and ordinary people and the pursuit of making full use of living resources are of great significance and valuable reference to Chinas present environmental protection.

Where to Go for Ecocriticism：Summary of the Academic Forum on the Theoretical Construction of EcocriticismHuang Xin & Wang Nuo

The Team of Ecoliterature Studies at Xiamen University（TESXU）has recently hosted the academic forum named“Theoretical Construction of Ecocriticism”， answering the question of “Where to go for Ecocriticism？”This is such a big problem that many ecological critics are fascinated and puzzled. TESXU gave the answer， that is， ecocriticism should turn to the theoretical construction. Three dimensions of exploration about Ecological-poetics， Ecological-aesthetics theory and Ecological Psychoanalysis Criticism were launched in the forum.