Encountering the nonhuman: body and ecological thinking in contemporary Chinese literature and vsual culture

Abstract

This dissertation delves into the intricate bodily interactions between humans and their nonhuman counterparts. Through the lens of the body, this study scrutinizes ecological imaginaries portrayed in Chinese literature, film, and art of the twenty-first century. I contend that comprehending the interconnectedness between human and nonhuman entities is paramount for fostering ecological awareness amid the unfolding climate crisis. My research reveals that the concept of the body should be employed to contemplate both humans and nonhumans, recognizing the body as dynamic, mutable, and in constant exchange with the environment. While acknowledging Chinese cultural and ecological contexts, this dissertation underscores the global urgency of environmental crises. Each chapter delves into humans’ interactions with a distinct nonhuman entity. The initial chapter examines an animal narrative depicting the transmigration of a human character across various animal forms. This narrative not only underscores the crucial roles animals have played in history, politics, and ecology but also unravels the intricate proximity between humanity and animality. In Chapter 2, the focus shifts to the global imbalance in waste distribution and its resultant environmental injustices. It exposes the dire conditions of sorting labor and the material entanglements between the human body and waste. The third chapter employs the concept of shanshui (water and mountain) to analyze the environmental documentary Behemoth and two series of Yang Yongliang’s art videos. Rather than suggesting a continuation or revival of the shanshui painting tradition, this chapter reveals how contemporary works negotiate with the shanshui aesthetic tradition to depict current environmental devastation in coal mining sites and urban landscapes. The final chapter addresses the breathability of air during critical times such as the SARS epidemic, the Smoggy Air event, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid virality and smog, the breathability of air becomes a testament to the constant exchanges between the human body, air, breath, and the environment. Collectively, this dissertation demonstrates how contemporary Chinese literature and visual culture not only continue the ecological thinking tradition of the human-nature relationship from ancient Chinese philosophy but also highlight the persistent contradiction between humans and nature.