Perception and Construction in the “Lifeworld”: The Transformation of the Calligraphic Image of Zhao Mengfu in the Ming and Qing Dynasties from a Phenomenological Perspective

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_6How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Zhao Mengfu; calligraphic image; phenomenology; lifeworld; logic of perception

Abstract

Taking the phenomenological concepts of the “lifeworld” and the “logic of perception” as the theoretical basis, this study returns to the cultural and intellectual context of the Ming and Qing calligraphic circles and examines the differences in the reception of Zhao Mengfu’s calligraphic image during temporal change and social group division. Through close reading and comparison of calligraphic treatises, colophons and other related texts, this paper reveals the shift in the evaluative paradigm from the moralised criticism of the early Ming that emphasised the unity of person and calligraphy, to the later turn towards the separation of person and calligraphy based on artistic ontology. This transformation is essentially a diachronic reconstruction produced by the intentional projection of the receivers. By integrating multiple historical situations such as court taste, the imperial examination system, the normative force of the Guange style, and the rise of stele studies, this study argues that the deconstruction and reconstruction of Zhao Mengfu’s image were driven by the intersection of three forces: the rise and decline of moral judgement, the re-evaluation of artistic value, and the shaping power of institutional order. The phenomenological framework shows that the history of artistic reception is not linear. Meaning is continuously “disclosed” through the intersection of historical horizon, bodily practice and political context. It therefore goes beyond unidirectional determinism and demonstrates the complexity and generative nature of reception history.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Kexin Dai
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/15
TI  - Perception and Construction in the “Lifeworld”: The Transformation of the Calligraphic Image of Zhao Mengfu in the Ming and Qing Dynasties from a Phenomenological Perspective
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 5th International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities and Arts (SSHA 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 50
EP  - 61
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_6
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-577-5_6
ID  - Dai2026
ER  -