UDC 316.7:316.77:391.41(510)
Liu Jianzhi
Ukrainian National Academy of Music, Kyiv.
ORCID ID 0009-0001-0384-9216
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37627/2311-9489-28-2025-2.50-59
Keywords: mask phenomenon, concept of “face”, mianzi, lian, Persona, Self, face-work, Über-Marionette.
Abstract.
The article examines the interaction between two cultural categories — the phenomenon of the “mask” and the concept of “face” — understood as mechanisms of sociocultural communication. The aim of the article is to conceptualise the “mask–face” model as a unified cultural mechanism that shapes the interaction between the individual and society, comprising both communicative and moral–ethical dimensions, with particular emphasis on the Chinese cultural context. Drawing on C. G. Jung’s psychoanalytic theory of archetypes (“Persona” / “Self”) and the Chinese distinction between mianzi (面) and lian (臉), the article proposes an interpretive model in which these notions function as complementary modes of a single cultural communicative structure. It is shown that in the Western humanities the concept of “face” is typically understood as a form of self-presentation and the maintenance of public image, whereas in Chinese culture it operates not only as an indicator of social status (mianzi), but also as a marker of moral integrity and personal dignity (lian). The concepts of E. G. Craig, E. Goffman, and mianzi / lian demonstrate that the mask/face serves as a universal cultural mechanism for organising behaviour and shaping social visibility. In theatre, interpersonal communication, and moral-ethical or hierarchical cultural systems, the mask/face functions as an interface between the individual and a system of cultural meanings, determining one’s mode of presence in the world. In the digital age, this mechanism undergoes transformation: the mask becomes detached from the body and emerges as an autonomous avatar, marking a new phase in the evolution of cultural forms of self-representation.
Author‘s biography.
Liu Jianzhi, postgraduate student, Ukrainian National Academy of Music, Kyiv.
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The article was received by the editorial office on 17.11.2025.
The article was accepted for publication after review on 01.12.2025.
The article was published on 31.12.2025.
Section: WORLD CULTURE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.