Program overview
Art History and Theory may sound a bit highbrow, but it's actually very down-to-earth — it's about studying "why art looks the way it does" and "the stories behind it." You'll learn how to appreciate a painting, a sculpture, a building, or even a piece of ceramics or a performance, and analyze their meanings across different eras and cultures. Core courses include Chinese Art History, Western Art History, Art Theory, Aesthetics, Art Criticism, Museology, and more. Chinese universities have a natural advantage here: you can get up close with living textbooks like the Forbidden City, Dunhuang, and Suzhou gardens. Many schools also organize field trips, such as visiting the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an or watching porcelain making in Jingdezhen. This major suits students who are sensitive to visual culture, enjoy pondering the logic behind "beauty," and don't mind writing long essays. If you want to both understand art and figure out how it influences society, this is your cup of tea.