Features of Chinese Cosmology

This paper outlines some key features of Chinese cosmology and discusses its significance on contemporary philosophical issues. Contrary to popular approaches to comparative philosophy, I aim to offer a holistic picture of Chinese cosmology by examining its own concerns and its internal dynamics. In particular, I have traced the development of Chinese cosmology from the Shang dynasty to the Song dynasty. Due to the general nature of this study, many details need to be expanded in the future. IN HIS 2010 PAPER “New Projects in Chinese Philosophy,” Robert Neville outlines eight new projects in which Chinese philosophy can be used as resources for “addressing contemporary first-order problems” (p. 46). 1 The fourth and the fifth projects concern cosmogony and philosophical cosmology. This paper is inspired by Neville’s paper and aims to address some issues raised in the above two projects. This does not imply that I agree with Neville on how these issues are classified or how they should be tackled. I do think these issues are important, and I agree with Neville that a good understanding of Chinese cosmology and cosmology is not just valuable for understanding Chinese culture, but also for resolving many contemporary challenges we face today, whether in Chinese culture or other cultures. The purpose of this paper is to identify some unique features of Chinese cosmogony and cosmology, and to outline some directions for future research on these issues. As a result, many details will be omitted. Hopefully, we’ll see a comprehensive and systematic explication of Chinese cosmogony and cosmology in