Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.1, 2020

The Values of Chinese Ecological Fiction since the Start of the New Century

(Abstract)

Wang Guangdong and Ding Qi

Ecological literature is a unique aesthetic form. By describing the relationship between man and nature, it explores the intellectual and cultural causes of ecological crises and pursues a harmonious symbiosis between man and nature. The valuing of overall ecological interests has been the soul of ecological literature since the beginning of the new century. Chinese ecological fiction tends to have narrative dimensions such as self-reflection and criticism, ecological ideals and bioethics. This is closely related to ecological cultural resources both at home and abroad, especially to the traditional Chinese concept of the unity of nature and man. China’s traditional national culture and aesthetic factors have played a structural role in the construction of ecological literature and the shaping of ecological ideals, integrating multiple factors and connecting the ancient and the modern. In the contemporary creation of and research on Chinese ecological fiction, we should be alert to guard against tendencies toward conceptualization, simplification, and weakened aesthetics and should have a deep understanding of the spiritual and cultural connotations of a “community of life.” Through our creative literary imagination, we will provide a beautiful artistic world for mankind’s survival and development and for poetic habitation.