Chinese perspective on creativity

Creativity is often associated with the idea of a lone creative genius, an individual who not only excels at what they do, but also transforms the world in the process. Further, even if we don’t limit ourselves to romantic or heroic perspectives on the nature and value of creativity, it’s commonly thought that creativity at least aims at novelty or originality. This way of thinking about creativity, however, isn’t universal. On one Chinese interpretation, creativity isn’t conceived as aiming at novelty or originality, but rather integration. Instead of aiming at something new, it aims at something that combines well with the situation of which it’s a part. An example is the craftsperson. This kind of creativity isn’t taken to aim at novelty or originality as such. The craftsperson is presented as creative not because of anything to do with their projects’, novelty or originality, but instead because of their ability to create wheels in a sensitive, responsive and – crucially – well-integrated manner: one not learned by rote, but rather via engaging in sustained, spontaneous activity. This alternative perspective on creativity might help us to see it as an everyday phenomenon in which we all participate – rather than an extraordinary talent or gift that only a few enjoy. And it might also allow us to make sense of the idea of living creatively: of an integrated life, lived spontaneously, in which all of life’s contrasting aspects can be arranged to form a rich and variegated whole. Source: https://psyche.co/ideas/to-be-creative-chinese-philosophy-teaches-us-to-abandon-originality?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

Copycat culture

In China, a copy does not share the negative connotation of its western counterpart as there are distinct differences between Chinese and Western attitudes toward facsimiles. In the West counterfeiting is a definite crime, viewed as fraud and theft. But China has a history of perfecting copies, beginning with its first emperor Qin Shi Huang. He built replicas of palaces from his conquered rivals as trophies from his conquests. In China a copy can be a sign of respect – and the process is seen as an art. Mimicry is something to master: The better the copy, the more regarded the artist. Source: https://sometimes-interesting.com/2014/03/25/an-english-town-in-china/

The long march

China's modernizing policies of the late 1970s offered artists more opportunities to learn about art from around the world, as well as the ability to work independently of state commission and the Socialist Realist style sanctioned under the Mao era. A profusion of different styles and experimental tendencies subsequently emerged. The early 1990s saw the ascendancy of two styles that engaged in sharp cultural critiques: Political Pop and Cynical Realism as well as the performance-oriented East Village movement in Beijing. More recent movements include the Post-70s Ego Generation, which consists of young artists raised under China’s One Child policy who tend to take the self as subject rather than the collective. Yet many contemporary Chinese artists continue to take broader social issues and traditions as the basis for their work. Source: https://www.artsy.net/gene/contemporary-chinese-art