Dong Qing

A recent wave of discussion swept across Chinese social media following the announcement of hosts for a major state television gala. The conversation wasn't about their professional credentials, but their faces. Many netizens expressed a longing for the "faces of national peace and prosperity," a term coined for veteran hosts like Dong Qing (董卿). Their absence, critics argue, has left a void on the nation's most prestigious stages. This phenomenon points to a deeper, nationwide conversation about shifting beauty standards and a perceived loss of a distinctive Chinese aesthetic in the public eye. The Classical Blueprint Traditional Chinese aesthetics prized harmony and implied meaning. In portraiture and classical art, the ideal was not sharp definition but artistic "liubai (留白)" or intentional blank space. This principle applied to facial features as well. The admired "Fang E Guang Yi" (方额广颐)—a broad forehead and full, rounded jawline—offered a canvas of balanced proportions. It was a face with room to breathe, considered a sign of health, stability, and fortune. This aesthetic is vividly preserved in artifacts like the Dunhuang (敦煌) frescoes. The female figures depicted there embody a diverse yet coherent ideal: rounded faces, gentle eyes, and natural proportions. Their beauty lies in composure…