Abstract: The 1990s and the early 2000s, a period of great social changes, witnessed a unique aesthetic
style in screen performance: serene mind for natural beauty. This aesthetic tendency was a restoration and
renewal of Laozi and Zhuangzi’s (Taoist) aesthetics, aspiring for the beauty of naturalness. Compared with
Confucian aesthetics which emphasizes moral analogy, it focuses more on the natural state of external
appearance and inner spirit. Situated in such a transitional period rife with diverse and changing outlooks on
value, the urban youth performers took on a spontaneous and natural way of character shaping and performance
paradigm as a result of the collision between their inward reflection and traditional roots. Therefore, although
they did not represent the mainstream social values, they took things as they were to express emotions and make
value choices.

Key words: film performance, performance aesthetics, serene mind for natural beauty, naturalization