From shensi to jingjieSernelj, Tea (Avtor) Chinese aestheticsshensijingjieLiu XieWang ChanglingWang GuoweiThe article examines the content and meaning of the Chinese aesthetic concept of shensi and its relation to the notion of the highest aesthetic realm (jingjie). Spiritual contemplation or artistic imagination (shensi) was thoroughly explored by Liu Xie (465 – 522) in his theoretical work on literary writing The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons in the 6th century. This work is the first systematic theory of artistic production in classical Chinese aesthetics. The aesthetic theory of jingjie, however, was first explored by Wang Changling (698 – 756) in the Tang Dynasty, but further developed by Wang Guowei (1877 – 1927) on the threshold of the 20th century, which is considered the beginning of the modernisation of Chinese aesthetics. The article explores both concepts in detail and argues that shensi is actually the aesthetic method that leads to the attainment of the highest aesthetic realm (jingjie) when successfully applied and manifested in the artistic process and in the artwork itself.20212022-11-30 12:46:27Članek v reviji142883UDK: 111.852(510)(045)ISSN pri članku: 1848-2317DOI: 10.21464/sp36204COBISS_ID: 115847683sl