The introduction of the words Měishù and Měishùguǎn into the modern Chinese lexicon: some preliminary findings

This article will focus on a selection of travelogues contained in the anthology Zou xiang Shijie congshu edited by Zhong Shuhe, to examine the introduction of new concepts and words into the modern Chinese art lexicon. In particular, I will present some preliminary findings of an inquiry conducted on the two Chinese words měishù – ‘fine arts’, and měishùguǎn – ‘fine arts museum’. I will explore how the two concepts were used in the travelogues under investigation before and shortly after the ‘domestication’ of the two words, which occurred at the end of the nineteenth century. Rather than aiming to examine the introduction of such words into the Chinese modern lexicon from a purely linguistic standpoint, my main purpose is to investigate their ‘cultural journey’, to trace the way they were absorbed and perceived in the linguistic-cultural context of China at the end of the nineteenth century.