Eastern Philosophy Learns from the “Wild” South

Eastern Philosophy Learns from the “Wild” South

In this paper, I will first explore the Chinese conception of nature and Western conception of wilderness. In terms of Chinese conception of nature, I will focus on the major school’s Chinese philosophy (Confucianism, Daoism and Zen Buddhism) and its philosophical understanding and aesthetic appreciation of nature.  Then I will examine how different philosophical understanding of nature and wilderness between China and the West affect the health of ecosystem and conservation practices between China and the West. Lastly, I will discuss how the China and the West can learn from each other in terms of their environmental values and ecological conservation.