Special Topics •Metamorphosis and Reconstruction: Fostering Originality in Contemporary Literature and Art (II)

■ On the Power of Originality: From Concept to Practice （PP. 4–12）Yin Hong

Abstract: Originality is the "unique" ability of artistic discovery, artistic presentation, and artistic expression reflected in the process of art creation. Originality is the "original driving force" for upholding integrity and innovation, breaking through aesthetic conventions, pursuing artistic excellence, and meeting the needs of the audience. "Uniqueness" is the most fundamental attribute and the most important symbol of literary and artistic originality. Originality is more than just a concept. More importantly, it requires a methodological system. Only by truly immersing oneself in life, feeling the pulse of the times, absorbing the experience of the predecessors, focusing on cutting-edge art, and understanding the needs of the audience can creators unlock the originality in literary and art creation.

Keywords: originality, artistic innovation, immersing oneself in life, IP adaptation, serial narrative

■ "Model", "Genre", and Secular Myths:The "Medium-Developed Trap" of the Film Industry and Its Heavy-Industrial Upgrading （PP. 13–23）Liu Fusheng

Abstract: China's film industry is in a bottleneck period of the "medium-developed trap", and the vicious "modelization" phenomenon in current film production is a prominent manifestation of this. The root cause of the homogenization in film creation lies in the path dependence caused by the current situation of low industrialization development. The industrial monopoly created by this situation has suppressed new production capacity and further hindered the industrial upgrading of Chinese film. Currently, China's film industry remains mired in difficulties, but it has the potential to move towards heavy industrialization and shows signs of a breakthrough. To overcome this dilemma, it is necessary to break the industrial monopoly, unleash the creativity of the masses, and create market conditions for the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers. Only by completing the heavy industrial upgrading can Chinese films break away from the low-level repetition of inferior patterns and reach the height of "secular mythology", and finally develop from "national films" to "world films".

Keywords: film industry, medium-developed trap, heavy industrialization, modelization, secular mythology

■ From "Classical Design" to "New Design": Creation and Innovation in Contemporary Design （PP.24–35）Hang Jian

Abstract: Design can be categorized into three forms: ancient design, modern design, and the new forms of design enabled by current technology (herein referred to as "new design"). In the contemporary era, "new design", with its distinct technological characteristics, has reset the relationship between design and people, design and society, altering the "classic" definition of design and becoming a new way to create social value. However, the "new design" has not replaced the original "modern design", and even forged multimodal connections with ancient design. In the process of integrating "classic" and "new" forms, contemporary Chinese design has developed its own uniqueness that is different from the general design knowledge system through three dimensions: creation, innovation, and creativity. From the aspects of conceptual transformation, industrial practice, institutional development, the rise of intelligent design manufacturing, the prosperity of cultural and creative industries, and intellectual property protection, it exhibits disciplinary connotations that is different from "art" and other social sciences. Design innovation has long surpassed the "form" innovation of art, but through design behavior, it integrates overall innovation in aesthetics, technology, social services and other dimensions, so that design is no longer mere "beautification" or "icing on the cake”" in the traditional sense, but creates new value through broad integration.

Keywords: classic design, new design, form, innovation, value

Theoretical Explorations

■ Creating Artistic Realms through Language, and Inspiring Delight through Wisdom:An Inquiry into the Aesthetic Formation Mechanism of Chinese Quyi （PP. 36–50）Jia Zhenxin

Abstract: The aesthetics of Quyi are created through the intelligent transmission of linguistic information oriented toward audience feedback as its primary purpose. They are centrally manifested in the integration of "captivating wit" ("jiqu") and the "subtle philosophical charm" ("liqu") that embodies great principles in an invisible form, together forming the unique "aesthetics of intelligent delight" ("zhiqu mei"). Language is the core material for the generation of Quyi beauty, while music and performance serve as supporting auxiliary materials. The organization of Quyi texts is the foundation of its stage presentation of Quyi beauty. Based on the underlying logic of "transcendental thinking" in traditional Chinese philosophy, it utilizes narrative wisdom characterized by "the interplay of reality and illusion, empathy between audience and performer, and a captivating sense of humor" to recreate everyday life. Quyi performances are the core stage in the concentrated presentation of Quyi's beauty, which is constructed through the artistic communication in which the performer takes the lead, concretizing linguistic information and awakening the audience through expressive physical performance. Thus a generative mechanism for Quyi beauty is formed: "creating artistic realms through language, deriving delight through wisdom."

Keywords: the beauty of Quyi, generation mechanism, transmission of language information, the beauty of wisdom and interest

■ On the Xieyi Spirit of Chinese Music （PP. 51–60）Hu Nan

Abstract: Chinese musical art, with its seemingly ethereal and profound qualities, exhibits typical xieyi characteristics. This xieyi spirit permeates the entire process of musical creation, performance and reception, embodying the triple meanings of "meaning," "imagery," and "artistic conception." The "meaning" of this xieyi spirit embodies the original existence of musical works, possessing a priori, present, and potential characteristics. The "imagery" of this xieyi spirit achieves a transformation from abstract spirit to concrete artistic form through the two aesthetic approaches of "observing objects and drawing images" and "expressing one's true feelings." The "artistic conception" of this xieyi spirit, through the unique path of "creating a scene through sound," transcends individual emotion to philosophical wisdom.

Keywords: Chinese music, xieyi spirit, meaning, imagery, artistic conception

Diverse and Extensive Art Phenomena

■ The Mechanisms and Practices of Artificial Intelligence in Art Creation:A Case Study of Chinese-Style Floral and Avian Jewelry Design （PP. 61–73）Gao Feng

Abstract: With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), its application in artistic creation has opened new possibilities for traditional modes of expression. This paper focuses on AI-driven artistic practice as its research focus, aiming to explore how algorithmic logic and data-driven processes shape art-making and foster innovative expressions of Chinese cultural traditions. By tracing the technological evolution of AI across different stages of development and analyzing representative cases of early interactions between computer technology and artistic creation, the study reveals the developmental logic of AI in art generation. Building on this foundation, it proposes a theoretical framework for AI-based art practice and further examines specific pathways of AI intervention through the author's own explorations in Chinese-style floral, avian, and jewelry design. The research not only provides practical insights into AI-enabled artistic creation but also offers new methodological perspectives for the contemporary expression of traditional Chinese aesthetics.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, artistic practice, Chinese-inspired jewelry design; classical aesthetics

■ Surviving Toward the Future:On the Catastrophic Imagery, Survival Ethics, and Temporal Imaginations in Liu Cixin's Science Fiction Novels（PP. 74–87）Zhou Qi

Abstract: Catastrophes in Liu Cixin's science fiction novels take on a variety of forms of expression, including those within human civilization, as well as doomsday disasters caused by solar or planetary activities or invasions by other advanced civilizations. The arrival of disasters 's novels finds its most acute expression in the question of "whether to cannibalize other people or not". The core question is whether individual interests, dignity, and even humanity can be sacrificed for the sake of collective survival. Liu Cixin believes that moral standards in a post-apocalyptic society will also change. Therefore, faced with the "trolley problem" in the ethical sense, he is more inclined to sacrifice the individual in exchange for the continuation of the collective. However, while many of Liu Cixin's novels use horrific disasters as the starting point of the narrative, he consistently places hope for the survival of civilization in a bright future. This optimistic background and unwavering faith in the future constitute the highly recognizable aspects of Liu Cixin's fiction.

Keywords: Liu Cixin, science fiction, writing of catastrophe and anomaly, "trolley problem", future

Youth Criticism

■ From "Affect Quantification" to "Collective Unfollowing":Platform Resistance and Ambivalent Subjectivity of Fans in Online Communities （PP. 88–96）Wang Shiqi

Abstract: Starting with the phenomenon of "collective unfollowing" practiced by fans, this study explores how they resist the existing cultural order and platform regulation within the socio-cultural sphere shaped by fandom, the digital platform and the commercial capital, thereby engaging in an ambivalent subjectivity. It finds that, unlike passive individuals revealed by previous research—who are either disciplined by fan labor or exploited by platform capitalism—fans participating in platform resistance exhibit a rejection of authoritative intentions such as "affect quantification" and "data supremacy". They also show a preference for open dialogue and ambiguous expression and demonstrate ambivalent subjectivities. By articulating polyphonic and grotesque voices, fans engage in a critical reflection on their complicity with the very system they challenge. Contradictions and ambiguities in fans' discourse do not necessarily hinder their exercise of subjectivity; rather, fans create new modes of interaction, thereby fostering complex affective identifications within the community.

Keywords: fan culture, platform resistance, online carnival, ambivalent subjectivity

Art Beyond China

■ The Mirror of Mind:Russian Sinologist S. A. Serova on the Theatrical Art of Traditional Chinese Opera （PP. 97–109）Song Yinnan

Abstract: Renowned Russian sinologist and theatre theorist S. A. Serova, drawing upon the seminal Chinese opera treatise The Origin of the Pear Garden (Liyuan Yuan) as her research text and guided by the principles of historical poetics, employs a cross-cultural analytical approach. She elucidates the aesthetic core of Chinese opera stagecraft, which ‌focuses on "illuminating the mind," its generative mechanism ‌governed by "adherence to tradition," and its practical methodology ‌practiced through "stylization". Serova's unique insights into Chinese opera performance within a heterogeneous cultural context represent, methodologically, the dynamic ‌integration‌ of the literary critical approach "historical poetics" inherent in the Russo-Soviet sinological tradition with theatre studies. She successfully ‌shifted‌ the Russo-Soviet paradigm for opera research ‌from a text-centered approach to a stage-centered one‌.

Keywords: S. A. Serova,The Origin of the Pear Garden(Liyuan Yuan), traditional Chinese theater, theatrical art

Interview with Renowned Experts

■ Westward beneath Neon Lights, a Masterful Brush Ever Paints Fresh Peaks:An Interview with Literary Critic Xiao Yunru （PP. 110–124）Interviewed by Liu Ning

Inside Front Cover

Chinese Literary Critics: Wang Tingxin

Inside Back Cover 

Recommendation of Important Academic Organizations in Literary and Art Theory and Criticism：Chinese Collegial Association for Visual Art

Back Cover 

Recommendation of Woodpecker Series: A Collection of Works by Literary and Art Critics