Vision and
audition are two modes of aesthetic process, with the former focusing on
rationality and the latter on perception.
The western metaphysics based on ancient Greek philosophy relies on vision whereas the one modeled on ancient Chinese philosophy centers on the tradition of audio centralism. The two philosophic traditions have resulted in two different literary and
artistic modes in the east and the west. Nevertheless, the respect for and borrowing from the western
rationality during the May 4th Movement has hindered the literary and artistic character of the Chinese audio mode of aesthetics and directed it onto the road of visual centrality. Up till now it has been led to the extent of estranging literature and art from emotions and uncontrollable inflation of desires. As such, literature and art are apt to train readers into indifferent " seers" and "hearers", limiting their imagination rather than enriching their feeling'. Above all, the advent of the present so - called "graph-reading" age clearly shows that people have not realized their ruthless deprivation by vision.