What are the meanings of red and yellow in China traditional culture?

Red is a bright color and symbolizes happiness. Since ancient times, in festivals and weddings, red has been used to show the elegance of festive events from decorations, costumes and accessories, not only to express congratulations on festivals, but also to exude inner joy from red celebrations. This symbolizes auspicious red and conveys a lasting festive atmosphere.

In ancient times, yellow was advocated, and yellow was often regarded as a symbol of the monarch. This first stems from the ancient agricultural people's thought of "respecting the soil". According to China's theory of Yin and Yang, yellow is the soil in the five elements, the "middle earth" in the center of the universe, and placed in the five elements.

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The Significance of Black in China Traditional Culture;

In the cultural symbolic significance of the Han nationality, black, like red, yellow and white, has dual cultural significance: both positive and negative.

Because black and iron are similar, people often use black to symbolize "integrity, perseverance, solemnity and selflessness" since ancient times. For example, in the art of traditional Chinese opera facial makeup, black is often used to symbolize the noble qualities of historical figures, such as honest and frank's selflessness. For example, the stage images of historical figures such as Weichi Gong in Tang Dynasty and Bao Zheng in Song Dynasty are all black faces.

According to China's ancient theory of five elements, the space between heaven and earth is divided into east, west, north and south elements, which belong to wood, gold, fire, water and earth, and the five elements are blue, white, red, black and yellow respectively. The north belongs to water and is black. Therefore, people also use black to symbolize "deep". Black is similar to night, so it symbolizes "mystery and solemnity".

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