Chinese Art in the Social Context: Unfolding the Interplay of the 'Four Enemies'

Chinese art has an important status in the world. The aesthetic value of Chinese art is embedded in the social context. The meanings of art to human beings are perceived through their inner values that could limit their vision regarding the systems of interest. Unfolding the values and ‘sweeping‐in’ the social, cultural, political and economic considerations could provide systemic insights into the complex world. Based on Churchman's ‘unfolding’ concept, this study examined the implications of politics, morality and religion in regard to the aesthetic system of Chinese art. The results show that the interactions of the four ‘enemies’ have had a deep influence on Chinese art and generated artistic styles and forms that should be interpreted in their temporal and social contexts to acquire the whole meaning of the works. The implications and potential sweeping‐in of other considerations in the social context are also discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.