Chapter 1
Origin and Evolvement of Aesthetics

The concept of aesthetics originated from people’s daily practice and functions of things and objects.For people who used to live in the ancient times when the productivity underdeveloped，anything beneficial for their survival was regarded as aesthetic.As Plato once said，“Under all circum﹣stances，the only standard we use to evaluate natural or man﹣made objects，and people’s acts are their function，and everything useful can be regarded aesthetic…” With the improvement of productivity and people’s living standards，men’s needs for spiritual enjoyment gradually exceeded their ma﹣terialistic needs.They began to pursue the sensory enjoyment and diversity of spiritual enjoyment，lying in both physical appearance and spiritual world，presenting a trajectory of evolvement.