Culture and Taste: The Cultural Aesthetics behind Chinese Children’s Preferences for Sesame Street Character Images
Abstract
A study of 1,082 Chinese preschool children (aged 3–6) across five regions (east, west, south, north, and central) examined their preferences for images of 16 Sesame Street Muppets. The results reveal shared aesthetic preferences among children, with key influencing factors being, in order: physical body features, costumes or props, and facial features. Chinese preschool children strongly preferred images that matched their cognitive experiences—realistic and concrete—while rejecting surrealistic depictions that fell outside their aesthetic expectations. Analysis of implicit connotations in character preferences suggests that Chinese children favor images embodying traditional "positive traits" of cultural expression. The subtle influence of "virtue" culture profoundly shapes their aesthetic inclinations. The study indicates that cultural segregation, formed in specific environments, operates through cultural consciousness or self-discipline to shape collective aesthetic tastes within a given regional and contextual group.
Document Type: Original article
Cited as: Deng, J., Hao, J., Hsueh, Y., Ma, Y. (2026). Culture and Taste: The Cultural Aesthetics behind Chinese Children’s Preferences for Sesame Street Character Images. Educational Research Advances, 1(3), 140-151. https://doi.org/10.46690/era.2026.03.01
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46690/era.2026.03.01Keywords:
Preschool children, Aesthetic preferences, Cultural segregation, Aesthetic tasteDownloads
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