Zong Baihua, an aesthetic old man walking by the Weiming Lake

In 1952, during the departmental adjustment, Mr. Zong Baihua was transferred from Nanjing University to Peking University. Mr. Zong has been teaching aesthetics and art at Southeast University, Central University and Nanjing University (Central University was formerly Southeast University. After liberation, Central University was divided into Nanjing University and Nanjing Institute of Technology. Nanjing Institute of Technology is now renamed Southeast University). , during which he also served as chairman of the philosophy department.

There are two reasons why Mr. Zong has a special liking for aesthetics and art: one is the reason of personality; the other is the reason of education.

Mr. Zhaozong himself said that he has loved meditation and romance since he was a child, and he likes to think about the white clouds in the sky. To use a fashionable saying, Mr. Zong has had the temperament of a poet since he was a child. There is something of a natural opportunity here.

Mr. Zong received education from a German school at the age of 17. As we all know, German contains both Goethe's romantic feelings and Kant's profound speculation, and it was these two aspects that firmly attracted the young Zong Baihua. It is undeniable that German education also played an important role in Mr. Zong’s later aesthetic career.

Therefore, although the young Zong Baihua has not done any special research on aesthetics, he has excellent aesthetic appreciation ability. It is not difficult to understand why Zhang Dongsu, editor-in-chief of Shanghai's "Shishi Xinbao", and Guo Yushang, editor-in-chief of the supplement, took a fancy to Zong Baihua, who was only in his early 20s, and asked him to edit the supplement of "Xue Deng"; it is also not difficult to understand why Guo Moruo's poems are everywhere After hitting a wall, he can be appreciated by Zong Baihua. Perhaps only poets can truly understand poets. It is not difficult to imagine how much awareness and courage it took to publish Guo Moruo's poems in 1919. It is precisely because of Zong Baihua's insight and the support of "Xue Deng" that Guo Moruo was able to sing his "Tengu" and "Phoenix" like a volcano erupting.

Out of his endless yearning for philosophy and poetry, Mr. Zong went to Germany to study in May 1920, specializing in aesthetics. Perhaps only aesthetics can take into account Mr. Zong's equal love for philosophy and poetry. Only aesthetics can unify philosophy and poetry, two seemingly contradictory things, in one person. It should be mentioned that the discipline of aesthetics was first established in Germany. In German academic history, aesthetic research has been very in-depth and has formed a consistent tradition. When Mr. Zong arrived in Germany, aesthetic research had broken through the traditional speculative field and turned to the psychological explanation of aesthetic experience. The popular aesthetic theories at that time were rarely the result of abstract philosophical speculation, but more of the summary of realistic aesthetic experience. This turn would not have had much significance without the in-depth study of aesthetics in German classical philosophy. It is precisely because German classical philosophy has almost exhausted the heights that aesthetic speculation can reach in the field of speculation that the limitations of speculative aesthetics are fundamentally exposed. Speculative aesthetics fundamentally shows the contradiction between research methods and research objects, that is, aesthetics uses purely speculative methods, but the object of aesthetics research is purely experiential aesthetic activities. Mr. Zong’s teacher at the University of Berlin was the famous esthetician Dessoiz. Professor Desso is an esthetician who emphasizes art appreciation. Under the influence of Desso, Mr. Zong paid great attention to the appreciation of art treasures preserved in major European museums. Precisely because the aesthetics of the time placed great emphasis on artistic practice, Mr. Zong still devoted time and energy to poetry creation in addition to his rigorous philosophical training. Most of the novels, poems and literary works in "Little Poems on the Flowing Clouds" which were very popular in the 1920s and 1930s were created by Mr. Zong while he was studying in Germany.

Since Mr. Zong never strays from artistic practice to engage in unrealistic speculation, what he writes has a particularly aesthetic appeal. Papers such as "The Spatial Consciousness Expressed by Chinese and Western Painting Methods" and "The Birth of Chinese Artistic Conception" written in the 1930s and 1940s show that Mr. Zong's understanding of aesthetics, especially Chinese classical aesthetics, has reached an unprecedented level.

In 1952, the departments were restructured, and Mr. Zong came to Peking University from Nanjing. At that time, Peking University gathered three leading figures in the national aesthetic circle, namely Mr. Deng Yizhe, Mr. Zhu Guangqian and Mr. Zong Baihua. If Germany is the center of Western aesthetics and represents the tradition of Western aesthetics research, Peking University is the center of Chinese aesthetics and has formed the tradition of Chinese aesthetics research. This tradition can be traced back at least to Mr. Cai Yuanpei, the respected president of Peking University. In 1917, when Mr. Cai was appointed president of Peking University, he delivered a speech on "Replacing Religion with Aesthetic Education." In 1921, Mr. Cai took the lead in setting up and personally teaching aesthetics courses at Peking University. Later, Mr. Zhu Guangqian taught "Literary Psychology" and "Poetry Theory", which can be regarded as aesthetic courses. Therefore, after Mr. Zong came to Beijing, he could feel a strong interest in aesthetics. Mr. Zong said in a letter in 1959: "There is generally a strong interest in aesthetics in Beijing. Currently, "New Construction" invites a symposium, and the situation will be published in the next issue. The Marxist-Leninist Institute also plans to train aesthetic cadres in the next six months, and we have been invited to assist. Mr. Zhu has joined the aesthetics group of the Department of Philosophy and has a promising future. My second walk, about music and architecture, is still in preparation. I don’t know when I will start writing it, because Kant’s aesthetics is in urgent need of translation. "(Zong Baihua) "Complete Works" Volume 3, Anhui Education Press) The lively scene of aesthetics at that time can be seen from this.

Judging from the materials unearthed in "The Complete Works of Zong Baihua", after coming to Peking University, Mr. Zong stepped up his systematic research on the history of Western aesthetics. From the "Complete Works" we can see Mr. Zong's "History of Aesthetics" (Outline) written in the 1950s and 1960s and some special studies on the history of Western aesthetics, such as the aesthetic thought of the Renaissance, the aesthetics of German rationalism, the British Empirical psychoanalytic aesthetics and a review of Kant's aesthetic thoughts, etc. Mr. Zong's translation of Kant's "Critique of Judgment" can be seen as an important part of his plan to systematically conduct research on the history of Western aesthetics.

In the 1960s, there was a division of labor between Mr. Zong and Mr. Zhu. Mr. Zhu was responsible for editing the history of Western aesthetics, and Mr. Zong was responsible for editing the history of Chinese aesthetics. Since the entire modern Chinese aesthetics is basically about Western aesthetics, it is a group of scholars who have returned from studying in the West to spread Western aesthetic ideas. Therefore, at that time, the research work on the history of Chinese aesthetics in the aesthetic circle was almost blank. In this academic context, it is almost impossible to write a mature history of Chinese aesthetics. According to Mr. Zong, the writing of the history of Chinese aesthetics needs to meet at least two conditions. One is a comprehensive and in-depth exploration and arrangement of materials on the history of Chinese aesthetics, and the other is a comprehensive understanding of various departments of Chinese aesthetics, such as painting aesthetics, calligraphy aesthetics, There have been relatively mature studies on architectural aesthetics, craft aesthetics, music aesthetics, etc. At that time, neither of these two conditions met the requirements. At that time, some comrades wanted to rush for quick results and suggested that they compile materials while researching and writing. Mr. Zong strongly opposed this opinion and said: "How can we write history without rich data? We must first collect data and work hard for several years." Mr. Zong not only said this, but also did it. He did not rush to write the history of Chinese aesthetics. Instead, he guided several teaching assistants around him. He spent nearly three years reading a large number of books in the Peking University library and compiled two "Selected Materials on the History of Chinese Aesthetics". While guiding the compilation and selection of these two books, Mr. Zong also compiled a large amount of information on painting aesthetics, calligraphy aesthetics, architectural aesthetics, craft aesthetics, and music aesthetics. Unfortunately, this batch of information has not been well preserved. Lost during the Cultural Revolution.

After mastering a large amount of information, Mr. Zong began special research on Chinese aesthetic thought, and in the early 1960s he gave a special lecture on "History of Chinese Aesthetics" to senior students in the Department of Philosophy and Chinese Department of Peking University. . In the lecture, Mr. Zong gave a comprehensive and concentrated account of the characteristics and learning methods of the history of Chinese aesthetics. He also discussed the aesthetic ideas expressed in pre-Qin arts and crafts and ancient philosophy and literature, ancient Chinese painting aesthetic ideas, ancient Chinese music aesthetic ideas, and Chinese aesthetic ideas. He published many profound and sophisticated insights into the aesthetic thoughts expressed in the art of ancient garden architecture, and left a large number of research notes. In these notes, we can often see the sparks of Mr. Zong’s thoughts on Chinese aesthetics, and they are of high academic value. It is gratifying that academic circles have recently noticed the value of these notes and have produced some preliminary research results. We believe that through excavations in the academic world, Mr. Zong’s thoughts will show increasing charm.

Although Mr. Zong did not complete the compilation of the history of Chinese aesthetics in the end, leaving a great regret for contemporary Chinese academics, the rigorous and realistic style of study passed down by Mr. Zong is the core of Peking University. It is an extremely valuable asset to the entire Chinese academic community. The two conditions necessary for writing the history of aesthetics required by Mr. Zong are no longer blank after Mr. Zong’s advocacy and his own efforts. In fact, Mr. Zong's emphasis on doing obscure work such as data collection and specific research, rather than rushing to occupy the top of the mountain and pick the fruits, has revealed an inner charm of personality. This kind of personality charm is particularly dazzling after experiencing that ups and downs of history.

After coming to Peking University, Mr. Zong practiced the aesthetic research methods he learned from Professor Desso, which emphasized that "aesthetic research cannot be separated from art, the creation and appreciation of art, and 'seeing'" and 'listen'. Beijing has a variety of art exhibitions, large and small museums, colorful artistic performances and well-preserved classical buildings, which provide very favorable conditions for Mr. Zong's "seeing" and "listening". Mr. Zong often uses a cane and squeezes into the city by bus to visit exhibitions with great interest. Even in some classical garden buildings that are already very common to Beijingers, Mr. Zong can often see new meanings in them, so that he lingers over them and is filled with infinite joy. After Mr. Zong passed away, he left a large number of books to the philosophy department. Most of these books he bought from old books and newspapers in the city in the 1950s and 1960s. Some of them are foreign books that are difficult to see abroad today. In fact, Mr. Zong was not wealthy at that time, and patches could often be seen on his clothes; but Mr. Zong was not that poor either. Even at the age of over 80, he had to squeeze into buses and cars to go to the city. Mr. Zong will have to spend money to buy books because he loves books and he knows how valuable those books are; Mr. Zong squeezes into the bus because he is unwilling to shut himself out of social life and spend time in the bus. On the Internet, you can hear the sounds of social life, see the images of social life, and experience the joys of life.

Mr. Zong wrote an article in the 1950s, titled "A Walk in Aesthetics." Mr. Zong said: "Walking is a free and unrestrained action. Its weakness is that it has no plan or system.

People who value the unity of logic will despise it and hate it. However, the school of Aristotle, the master of logic in the West, is called the "walking school". This shows that walking and logic are not absolutely incompatible. Zhuangzi, an influential philosopher in ancient China, seemed to be walking in the mountains all day long..."Walking" marks the unique characteristics of Mr. Zong's aesthetics. On the one hand, this characteristic is methodological; It's about the realm. From a methodological point of view, Mr. Zong's aesthetic research is not limited to the field of abstract speculation. It's not that Mr. Zong is unaware of the various weaknesses of "walking" in the eyes of ordinary people, but if it stays in a free and easy way. From a certain perspective, this weakness seems to have become an advantage. More importantly, for the discipline of aesthetics, "Walking" has some methodological enlightenment. Perhaps Mr. Zong chose "the object of aesthetics to reject logical analysis". "Walking", in the field of aesthetics, only the method of "walking" can get close to the mysterious object. Mr. Zong's "walking" range is very wide, including places where ordinary people rarely visit, places where there are many people and bustling people, and places where ordinary people have to A place where you are stuck in it without knowing the joy. As for reading, people at home and abroad like to dabble in it, especially "walking" in some little-known notes and miscellaneous notes, and they can often find some very interesting things about art. In terms of appreciation, Mr. Zong also has a mind beyond ordinary people's imagination. He admires the simplicity and tranquility in ancient Greek sculptures, and is fascinated by the beating of soul and flesh in Rodin's sculptures. He admires the ingenious techniques of Renaissance painting and admires the light and shadow of the Impressionist masters. symphony; he strongly respects Western art, but also cherishes Chinese culture infinitely; on the one hand, he loves classical poetry, and on the other hand, he is a famous vernacular poet;... Mr. Zong’s pursuit and love of beauty and art have almost no boundaries of time and space. Mr. Zong's "walking" is not only limited to the small study room and art palace, but also in very ordinary daily life, he can "walk" freely and unrestrainedly. Mr. Zong never cares about fame and fortune, so there is nothing in his life. Things made him particularly troubled. Even in those extraordinary days, Mr. Zong could still be carefree and fearless. On the surface, Mr. Zong seemed to be "blinded" into ordinary life; in fact, he never did. He stopped thinking and never let the dust of life contaminate his bright and noble heart. Not only in his personal spiritual world, but also in the material world where he lived with others, Mr. Zong could be calm and happy. "Walking" is impossible without a very high understanding. Only those who have reached the "realm of heaven and earth" can "walk" so calmly and happily. This is not an exaggeration. At the banquet for Mr. Zong’s 85th birthday, Mr. Zong said in front of many birthday well-wishers: “Mr. Zong’s realm of life is difficult for ordinary people to achieve, at least I have not achieved it. "

On the surface, Mr. Zong did not do anything earth-shattering at Peking University, but in fact, at least in the aesthetic tradition of Peking University, Mr. Zong occupies a very important link. From the old president Cai Yuanpei Beginning with Mr. Cai, Peking University’s aesthetics has emphasized aesthetic education and the integration of reading and life. According to Mr. Cai’s conception, the purpose of aesthetics is to “break the distinction between others and ourselves, to eliminate the calculation of interests and benefits” and “to cultivate the spirit and make it progress day by day.” "Noble", that is to say, lies in improving people's spiritual realm. Mr. Zong not only reached the peak of his era in knowledge, but also achieved a perfect personality. It is undeniable that aesthetics and art played a role in Mr. Zong's personality cultivation process.

Mr. Zong’s contribution to the aesthetics of Peking University is also reflected in the training of successors. Although Mr. Cai strongly advocated aesthetic education and practiced aesthetic education, he gave The "living legacy" left by Peking University's aesthetics career is limited, that is to say, Mr. Cai did not cultivate a successor team for Peking University's aesthetics career. Therefore, after Mr. Cai, Peking University's aesthetics has been difficult to sustain. Of course, this is related to the limitations of the era in which Mr. Cai lived. At this point, Mr. Zong’s contribution seemed to be greater. Mr. Zong paid special attention to the training of young teachers and students. He was deeply influenced by him. For example, in the 1980s, Professor Ye Lang, who wrote "Aesthetics of Chinese Novel" and "Outline of the History of Chinese Aesthetics" and edited "Modern Aesthetics System", which had great influence in the aesthetics community, was one of Mr. Zong's assistants. . Mr. Zong’s influence can be seen in Professor Ye’s grasp of the spirit of Chinese aesthetics and his advocacy of integrating Chinese and Western aesthetics, traditional aesthetics and contemporary aesthetics.

Another assistant of Mr. Zong. Professor Yu Min regards his study of the aesthetic consciousness of the Spring and Autumn Period and his focus on experiencing the mysteries of Chinese aesthetics in life as being inspired and guided by Mr. Zong. Another professor in the Aesthetics Teaching and Research Department, Mr. Yang Xin, is deeply valued by Mr. Zong. The influence of artistic practice. Although these latecomers have different interests and different research directions, the "shadow" of Mr. Zong can be seen in them, and these latecomers consciously or unconsciously use Zong in their teaching. The "shadow" of Mr. Cai (Yuanpei), Deng (Yizhe), Zhu (Guangqian), and Zong (Baihua) is left to the next generation of students. , and laid a good foundation for Peking University's aesthetics to eventually form a unique school of thought, then under the new historical situation, as we are about to enter the 21st century, it is imperative to establish the Peking University Aesthetics School.

As Professor Ye Lang said: If we want to establish a school of aesthetics at Peking University, we must "continue" from Mr. Zhu Guangqian and Zong Baihua; establishing a school does not mean establishing a sect, but a school is the inevitable result of the standardization and in-depth development of academic research in China today; Today, when Eastern and Western cultures collide, dialogue, exchange, and integrate, Chinese academics should have their own characteristics, including their own schools of thought, and Chinese scholars should have their own foothold. The reason why Peking University's aesthetics can be called a school is not only because it has a group of influential scholars and a continuous academic tradition, but more importantly, it has its own unique theoretical system and methods. Especially from the perspective of the entire modern and contemporary Chinese academic background, its characteristics are even more distinctive. The entire contemporary Chinese scholarship has a tendency to rigidly apply the Western academic category system, and is full of debates about idealism and materialism. But Peking University’s aesthetics, especially the research on traditional Chinese aesthetics, is basically pragmatic and has not been impacted by anything external. In fact, Peking University's aesthetics also places special emphasis on the reasonable absorption of Western aesthetics, but this absorption is never mechanical. Especially in Mr. Zong's case, the integration of Chinese and Western aesthetics is completely invisible. More specifically, Peking University Aesthetics emphasizes comparison, dialogue, communication and integration between China and the West in terms of method and vision, but its theoretical core is traditional Chinese aesthetics, especially the theory of imagery and artistic conception in traditional Chinese aesthetics. Peking University's aesthetics basically develops and expands from this theoretical foundation. From Zhu Guangqian's "On Poetry", Zong Baihua's "The Birth of Chinese Artistic Concept" to Ye Lang's "Modern Aesthetic System", we can see the continuous advancement and continuous advancement of this image-centered aesthetic theory. Full and complete. With the development of the Peking University School of Aesthetics, Mr. Zong’s role in it seems to have become more and more obvious and important. This is not only reflected in his unique personality and efforts in cultivating his successors, but also mainly in his construction of the theoretical core of this school.

In the throes of contemporary Chinese aesthetics seeking theoretical development and breakthroughs, people will consciously or unconsciously return to Zong Baihua, Mr. Zong’s broad theoretical mind, and Mr. Zong’s views on Chinese aesthetics. The profound insight returns to Mr. Zong’s perfect personality achieved through art and aesthetics.