The volume offers comprehensive introduction to the rapidly expanding field of Chinese ecocriticism. Drawing on Taoist and Confucian traditions of ecological wisdom and engaging with contemporary environmental humanities, this volume explores how Chinese literature, art, film, and cultural practices respond to ecological challenges from antiquity to the Anthropocene.
Organized into three sections, the book examines classical Asian philosophy and its ecocritical applications, ecocritical readings of Chinese places and species, and contemporary environmental crises through cultural texts. Chapters address topics such as ecological aesthetics, Traditional Chinese Medicine ecocriticism, Confucian ecological thought in dialogue with Thoreau, Buddhist environmental ethics, and cinematic representations of urban ecology.
By foregrounding indigenous concepts such as tian ren he yi (the unity of heaven and humanity) and integrating global theoretical frameworks, the volume demonstrates how Chinese ecocriticism enriches debates on sustainability, multispecies coexistence, and environmental justice. It bridges Chinese and Western ecocritical discourses and offers new insights into ecological aesthetics, energy humanities, and cultural responses to planetary crises.
Essential reading for researchers and graduate students in ecocriticism, environmental humanities, Asian literature and film, and comparative cultural studies, this book provides a vital resource for understanding China's ecological imagination and its role in shaping global environmental thought
