What are the thoughts of Chinese design art

Ancient Chinese design ideas are scattered in various canonical books, although not systematic, but the role of our understanding of ancient Chinese design can not be underestimated. In a nutshell, ancient Chinese art and design thought mainly has the following three points of view

I. "Kin and then on the work of the clumsy" - to the practical as the fundamental ancient Chinese design focus on the practical function of the product. This point is the ancient Chinese aestheticians and craftsmen are very much emphasized and valued, "firm and then on the clumsy" is the requirement that product design should first have practical value, and then consider whether it is good to use, and finally to solve the problem of good-looking. This is in line with modern design thinking. For example, Li Yu emphasized in his "Idle Happenings" that the production of chairs should pay attention to how to make people sit comfortably. He believed that the practice of chairs in winter and summer should be different. For the teapot, Li Yu also demanded that the design be centered on human use. He said that "the place but to take its application, why must be a small talk, must be to the point of exhaustion and then stop where the production of tea pots, the mouth of the straight, the buyer is also the same, a curved can be a worry, and then curved is said to be discarded. Covering the storage of tea and storage of wine is different, wine is no dregs, a pour is out, the mouth of the curvature can be regardless of the tea is a body of things also, the stars of the leaves, people water that is a large area, pouring leaks, the slightest into the mouth is plugged and do not stay, sucking the tea is fast, pouring is not out, a great sense of boredom. Straight is to ensure that there is no such thing as a problem, even if sometimes blocked, can also be dredged, unlike Wuyi Jiuzu's difficult to guide also." [1] can be seen Li Yu attaches great importance to the product "good to use" problem, which is very consistent with the modern "people-oriented" design concept.

Two, "body comfortable, - practical and decorative to promote each other's practical and decorative are two components of the performance of handicrafts, and only a clever combination of the two, will make the two aspects of the role of the full play, so that the design of handicrafts tends to be perfect, to meet the needs of the user. But if the relationship between the two are not properly handled, it will become a failure of the design. Ancient Chinese aestheticians and craftsmen began to combine the aesthetics and practicality of handicrafts. The history of Chinese ceramics is a history of mutual promotion of decoration and utility. Ceramic modeling changes, initially mostly for the purpose of enhancing, changing the practical function of the apparatus, while bringing new aesthetic effect of ceramics, the development of later, out of aesthetic considerations to improve the shape of ceramics has gradually become a new trend in the development of ceramics. Potters to the practical and decorative aspects of the two cleverly combined together to create a rich and colorful ceramic handicrafts. For example, the foot of the ceramic fan is from the three feet of the ceramic tripod, but in the improvement, in order to expand the heat area of the ceramic flat in order to use, shorten the cooking time, and therefore the three solid feet into a fat hollow section of the foot, in the shape of a simple and solemn sense of aesthetics. In addition, the potters in many objects set up a convenient use of parts, such as lids, knobs, handles, high feet and so on. The design of these parts is often unique, such as the design of some parts into the shape of animals, reflecting the designers to pursue the combination of practical and aesthetic design concepts. Some aestheticians also put forward the idea that decoration has a role in promoting practicality. Lu Yu in the Tang dynasty in the "tea" in the "green is good for tea" said Shen Kuo in the Song dynasty "Mengxi Bianchuan" to the production of mirrors as an example of the promotion of decorative effect on the practical. He said, "the ancients cast the mirror, Jian big is flat, Jian small is convex. Where the mirror is puddled, the face is large, convex, the face is small. The small Jian can not fully view the human face, so make slightly convex, receiving the human face to make small, then although small but can be fully integrated into the human face. Still measure the size of the Jian, increase or decrease the height, often make the face and the size of the Jian similar." [2] The meaning of this passage is that the ancients in order to maximize the practical function of the mirror illuminated, according to the size of the material, the use of different shapes for the production, that the ancients already have a concave-convex lens principle has an understanding of, and based on the selection of different shapes, so that mirrors can give full play to its practical function, while not losing the aesthetic.

Li Yu made a good summary of the practical and aesthetic problems, and he expressed the idea of the combination of practical and decorative needs many times in "Idle Remarks". For example, when he talked about the production of "bed", he emphasized the combination of decorative and practical issues "its method of Wei He said that the bed to make flowers, the second day of the tent so that there is a bone, the third day of the tent should be added to the locks, the fourth said that the bed should be with the skirt." [3] the so-called "bed to make flowers", is said to put flowers on the bed. Li Yu believes that this arrangement has two advantages a flower can play a decorative role in the bedroom and the fragrance of flowers can give people a sense of comfort, can help people fall asleep. Li Yu even the role of flowers to the role of "Zhuangzhou dream of butterflies" aesthetic realm, that to this realm, "people are not human, immortal". "Account so that there is a bone", that is, the mosquito net hanging flat and sharp, look beautiful and practical "Account should be added locks", that is, in the mosquito nets on the texture, color, shape and harmony of the locks, not only can play a role in preventing mosquitoes, but also enhance the appearance of mosquito nets aesthetics " Bed to skirt ", on the one hand, is to make the whole bed perfect unity, to avoid " fine its beginning and can not be good at the end, the beauty of the top had to be dirty under it ", on the other hand, can keep the bed clean and tidy. Li Yu on the bed design ideas, not only in line with the physiological requirements of the bed, but also pay more attention to the living environment on the role of human aesthetic cultivation.

Three, "should be simple rather than complex, should be natural rather than carved" - the appearance of the form of simple and natural

In the traditional Chinese aesthetic thinking under the influence of the ancient Chinese craft design has always been advocating the simplicity of the style. Although individual designs of individual periods have been extremely carved, but in general, the ancient Chinese craft designers basically emphasized moderation of the appearance of the form, opposed to the gorgeous and extravagant. Li Yu summarized the ancient Chinese craft design style as follows: "To sum up its outline, there are two words: it is better to be simple than complicated, and it is better to be natural than carved. Where the theory of things, simple can be continued, complexity is difficult to long, and follow its nature will be firm, planted its body is easy to break." He also believes that "civil engineering, the most avoid extravagance, not only the people's home, when the respect for simplicity, that is, princes and kings, but also when this is still the case. Covering the system of living room is not noble noble beautiful, noble novelty and elegant, not noble delicate and rosy. Where people stop good rich and beautiful, not good rich and beautiful, because it can not create a different standard new, no insight into the rich and beautiful, only to be used as a plug".

Ancient Chinese craft design on the simple form of reverence for its rich and long cultural origins, occupying an important position in the feudal ideology of feudal rites of passage on the designer's mind has a very strong binding force. Designer design is beautiful or not, must first be evaluated according to the requirements of feudalism. The spirit of rites and music dominates the way of thinking and behavior of the Chinese people, and you will find that everything in China has been influenced by rites and music, and ancient design is naturally no exception.

Ritualism not only establishes a set of theoretical guidelines, but also proposes a number of ways to realize these principles and guidelines. After the saints have made, and then repair the fire of the benefit. Fan gold, combined with the earth, to the table pavilion, palace, inciting households. Two to descend on God and ancestors, to correct the ruler and the ministers, to be faithful to the father and the son, to amicable brothers, to align the upper and lower, the husband and the wife have." This building should reflect the requirements of the ritual in the design. The Book of Rites also says, "Rites are more expensive if the Son of Heaven has seven temples, the vassal five, the feudal lord three, and the scholar one. Those who valued the palace by its size, the degree of its vessels, the thickness of its coffins, and the size of its mound and seal, valued it by its height. There is a high for the noble son of the Hall of nine feet, seven feet of the vassal, five feet of the feudal lords, three feet of the Shi, the son of the feudal lords of the stage door." [4] So the ancient architectural design to strictly abide by the feudal hierarchy, and does not allow designers to play as they wish. Although these systems in the product design process is not very strong, but still left a deep imprint, which is particularly evident in the architectural design.