"Seeing Chinese Culture through Chinese Dance: The 'Circle'"
Abstract
of yuan ("the circle") within the Chinese cultural imaginary. Anchoring this study in the philosophical underpinnings of Chinese "circle" culture, the paper interrogates the concrete manifestations of the circle in Chinese dance. By means of a critical review of primary and secondary
sources, it reconstructs the historical trajectory and spiritual semantics of yuan in traditional Chinese thought; simultaneously, through close
choreographic analysis, it explicates how the circle is operationalized with respect to movement pathways, spatial configurations, and affective expression. The investigation reveals that yuan in Chinese dance is not confined to the kinetic vocabulary of ping-yuan (horizontal circle),
li-yuan (vertical circle), and ba-zi-yuan (figure-eight circle); rather, it is systematically extended to macro-structural principlessuch as concentric "large-circle-enclosing-small-circle" formations and cyclical stage designsthat externalize the cultural ethos of tian-ren-he-yi (the
unity of Heaven and humanity) and yuan-man-he-xie (consummate harmony). The study thus articulates the unique mechanism by which the
circle migrates from cultural symbol to corporeal lexis, offering a new perspective on the symbiotic relationship between art and culture.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
[1] Xiaohui Li, He Xingliang. From Circular Culture to the Continuity of Chinese Civilization[J]. Journal of Northwest Minzu University
(Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 2023(6):10-22. DOI:10.3969/j. ISNS.1001-5140.2023. 06.002.
[2] Li Yongming, Liu Lilan. (2001). A dance cultural phenomenon centered around "circle." Contemporary Drama, (06), 57-58.
[3] Zhao Rong. (2020). Research on Dance Direction Instruction Based on the Trend of "Circle." Voice of the Yellow River, 35(16), 70-71.
doi:10.19340/j.cnki.hhzs.2016.033.
[4] Xiaohui Li & He Xingliang. (2025). From the development and evolution of circular culture, we can see the innovativeness of Chinese civilization. Journal of Central South University of Nationalities (Humanities and Social Sciences), 45 (02), 82-91+184-185.
doi:10.19898/j.cnki.42-1704/C.20250221.07.
[5] Yin Yifan. (2024). The "circle" in Chinese classical dance and Korean ethnic dance. Cloud Nine, (19), 32-34.
[6] Yuan He. History of Chinese Dance[M]. Beijing: Higher Education Press, 2019.
[7] Zhao Huixia. (2010). A Brief Discussion on Dance Metaphors. Journal of Xianyang Normal University, 25 (02), 112-115.
[8] Xiaohui Li & He Xingliang. (2024). Overview and Characteristics of Research on Chinese Round Culture. Learning and Exploration, (03),
128-136.
[9] Rao Lina. On the Imaginative World of Circular Tuning on Dance Stages[J]. Journal of Beijing Dance Academy, 2016(1): 17-20
[10] Hong Qiaoming. (2024). The role and expression of emotions in dance performances. Theater House, (17), 139-141.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.70711/neet.v4i2.8668
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
