Since it was first published in Chinese in 1981, this work has been read widely and translated into several languages, becoming a classic in the study of Chinese aesthetics. The author, a noted philosopher and aesthetician, draws on examples from sculpture, painting, calligraphy and poetry, among other sources, from throughout China's history, to build a cogent and engaging argument concerning the nature of Chinese artistic values. While providing an historical overview of Chinese art from antiquity to modern times, he examines as well the evolution of the sociological, psychological, philosophical and spiritual underpinnings of Chinese culture.