Introduction

The introductory chapter maps key theoretical concerns in sensory studies and delineates the goals of this volume as a venture into the understudied territory of the Chinese sensorium. Treating sense perception (of the auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory senses, in addition to visuality) and sensory experience as culturally constructed and historically shifting, the volume explores topics such as the foundational thinking about the senses in pre-modern China, the role of the affects and the senses in sociopolitical transformations during the modern and contemporary eras, the contested cultural and aesthetic formation of Chinese sensescapes, and the functions of modern technologies and media in mediating and transforming the senses. This chapter also offers succinct summaries of the main themes and critical foci of the ten chapters and epilogue, all of which collectively delineate a sensory revolution occurring in modern and contemporary China.