Applied Mechanics and Materials Vols. 368-370 (2013) pp 649-652
Online available since 2013/Aug/30 at www.scientific.net
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doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.368-370.649
Internal Relation between Design and Culture—Chinese Cultural
Characteristics Reflected in Interior design
Li Tao1, a ,ZhouJing2,b
1,2
The Department of Architectural and Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology ,China
a
lt670718@126.com ,b284170817@qq.com
Key words: Reflection, Traditional Culture, Modern Design
Abstract: With the increasingly development and practice of interior design in China, designers are
facing an important problem which requires them to have a good consideration,that is the culture
reflected in their design is borderless.The urgent problem which comes to us now is try to reflect the
inheritance and innovation of native culture in the interior design in a right way. Designers need to
think better of returning to traditional Chinese culture and have it carried forward.The traditional
culture and the taste of traditional aesthetic concept are well worth learning by designers, which is
the foundation of the design. We should think deeply of current design behavior and face the
reasonable direction of the development squarely, so as to make Chinese interior design more
competitive in the world market.
Introduction
The development of interior design in China has only twenty or thirty years of history, when
we looking back on, we could find out that the speed of development is out of blue, however, some
problems are exposed during the process of development, especially with the shock of
commercialized economic waves, and in an age of materialism, the concept of culture has changed
a lot, and in the meantime, the value orientation and the behavior approach also departed from the
normal line. Quick wins and instant benefits and restless of mind have badly influenced the
long-term professional development. And therefore, With the increasingly development and practice
of interior design in China,, many designers have began to think about traditional culture reflection
in design. Try to return to traditional culture to be reflected in the design is something as food for
thought.
As is known to all, the five-thousand-year Chinese civilization has created brilliant culture. In
ancient times, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and the others philosophers express unique
understanding and awareness to the universe, life and nature, and the relationship between Heaven
and Earth. Their insightful points of view, profound philosophy and excellent cultural and aesthetic
ideas have penetrated into philosophy, literature, poetry, painting, sculpture, calligraphy, seal cutting,
architecture, landscape garden and so on many aspects of the works.
I. Confucianism and Taoism is the foundation of China's traditional aesthetics and ancient
building complex
Since the Spring and Autumn period, Confucianism and Taoism are gradually become the
dominant ideological system. The system spreads so widely, the theory is so incisive and the
thought is so active, which has brought profound influence to traditional Chinese ideology.
Though they have some different opinions, Confucianism and Taoism still share common point
of view and their nature is harmonious. . Confucianism pay more attention to the harmony between
human and human and between human and society, and Taoism stresses on the harmony between of
human and nature. Confucian culture and Taoist culture are the mainstream of China′s traditional
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culture, its impact on the national psychology of the whole nation and national personality is
enormous. It is not only affects the development of Chinese history for a long time, but also
dominates the concept of traditional culture of Chinese nation. And therefore, it makes Chinese
traditional building follow the principle of " beauty of harmony " and "unity of heaven and
humanity". And naturally, when people are building their houses, they will try to incorporate the
harmony between “Heaven, Earth and Human” in buildings. And the architectural modeling and its
meaning also reflects people’s understanding of the world in his knowledge in higher level. For
example, the big roof in Chinese traditional architecture is typical interpretation of such concept.
Purpose of the roof is to keep out of wind and rain. However, in the concept of nature of “unity of
heaven and human” in ancient times, the straight channel to heaven in architecture is the roof, and
therefore, the form of the roof is highlighted and turns into the most prominent part of a building
and is developed perfectly.
We could say that the art of Chinese classical architecture is the centralized unity of social
ideology and political institution. This is the specific attitude
of ancients toward nature, society and human. The thought of
nature and human running parallel and without confliction
the reasonable order of society, rituals and interpersonal
relationships, the complementary Yin and Yang have made
Chinese traditional architectural system an organic whole,
and developed unique architectural form of China.As shown in
Fig. 1.1.
The most obvious feature of ancient Chinese architecture
is boundless space, which comes into a “One Room” consists
of buildings and scenic landscape. Which had been described
as early as in Lao Tzu’s《Tao Teh King》. Traditional Chinese
architecture pay much attention to combination of "void" and
"solid" space, and combines the space of building with
pass-through structure, natural landscape and people's
psychological feelings, and therefore to form a imaginative,
colorful and morphological space. As shown in Fig. 1.2.
Fig.1.1
Fig.1.2
II. Artistic Concept is the cultural core of the aesthetics
theory in China’s traditional architecture
With Lao Tse and Chuang-Tzu as the representative figures, the Taoist theory has laid a good
foundation for “Artistic Concept”, which has a distinctive nationality characteristics. Artistic
conception goes in for integrate and unification of image and environment. and centers on virtual
and vivid impression, and aspires the combination of beauty of objective entity with subjective
feeling of one’s inner world, which is also called the interaction between spirits and object. The
work of the artist will reflect both his creative talent and his practice of life and knowledge of art.
Most of the theory by Lao Tse and Zhuang-Tuz is developed based on heaven, earth and
morality. “Human rules earth, earth rules heaven, heaven rules morality and morality rules nature”
Here, “Heaven, Earth and Morality” are “three-in-one” objects and have important influence to each
other. They are all "infinity" and "eternal". Zhuang-Tzu believes that morality exists absolutely,
which beyonds time and space. However, Heaven and Earth are born of morality. Only permanent
existing of morality can make everlasting Heaven and Earth.All these speaks express that the
ancients pay much attention to Qi, and which reflects in the field of art is the meaning of artistic
Applied Mechanics and Materials Vols. 368-370
651
works, which is out of sight and out of touch, yet is really exists.
The discourse and analysis of “beautiful”, “subtle” and "tasty" by
Lao Tse has broken new ground of the Chinese classical
aesthetics.In the design of space of a building, it will act out as
aesthetics concept, taste, sentiment and atmosphere. As shown in
Fig. 2.1.
The historical context and geographical spirit formed in a long
time is the product of long-term development and accumulation of
Chinese nation, which gives a unique aesthetics concept of
“Nature of Heaven, Nature of Humanity and Nature of Object”.
“Nature of heaven” means “be alike in spirit”, and “Nature of
Humanity” means “be alike in Qi” and “Nature of Object” means
“be similar in form or appearance”. Only when “Qi” is available,
can the appearance of object be vivid and charm, and further to
Fig.2.1
achieve the unity of form and spirit. In addition, it is also a process
of continuous understanding, improving and complementing. It is
a process of exploring “artistic image” and “conceptual design”, which can only be obtained
through unceasing understanding.
III. To create a perfect combination of unique feature of Chinese culture and characteristics
of time
Ancient Chinese architecture is an important element of the material and spiritual culture
heritage in ancient China. Chinese ancient architecture is not just shapes, and has blended each
other with the aesthetics based on Chinese culture accumulated for thousands of years. and formed
one complete set of perfect aesthetic ideas, that is the Oriental Aesthetics System.
During the survival and development of a nation, if it's cultural attribute was colonized and
melted by other cultures, even if the nation keeps its racial purity and without genetic alienation,
the existing of the nation is still a sorrowful thing. We are always living in a forever changing world
which continues from the above and introduces the following, yet even if we are experiencing over
growth of the material abundance, our spiritual world will not be sure to be healthy and wealthy.
A designer is not only to fulfill a design tasks, more
importantly, he’s the heir of social culture. The thinking of
culture in his design is his unshifted responsibility and
obligation, and every designer will be influenced by the
traditional culture identified by him. Nearly every nation in the
world has its own unique history, cultural traditions and the way
of thinking. The social consciousness and all aspects of practice
of a nation are affected in long term and steadily by the
thinking mode of the nation. The most typical and centralized
reflect of human civilization is the culture of design.
There is never lack of such outstanding people in the
world. They are combining their own traditional cultures with
modern
civilization
organically
and
soundly.
For
Fig.3.1
instance,Japanese master architect are advocating the inner
connections between Japanese culture and modern architecture.
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Frontiers of Green Building, Materials and Civil Engineering III
By borrowing the form of modernism, Japanese master architect, Mr. Tadao Ando, has made
abandon and renew to modernism, By using modern materials, language and strong artistic faith in
Japan’s architecture, however, in his works, he gives expression to the concept of “spacing” in
traditional Japanese architecture and that of “morality”, the combination of human and nature. His
works show his respect and innovation to the culture of civil. As shown in Fig. 3.1.
IV. Conclusion:
Today the designers are facing a dilemma, the innovation or the inheritance, and they should on
the one hand brave new shapes boldly, and on the other hand inherit the essence of traditional
culture..Their design practice shall combine the soul of China’s national spirit with the modern
civilization. China is a great country with vast land and over five thousand years of human history,
and the culture deposit is so abundant that could give a steady flow of source for the creation.
Modern science and technology is developing with a fever speed, and the ideas of art crop up here
and there in the world. All these, are the solid foundation for our creative design. As Mr. Lu Xun
ever said: "Only the national characteristics is welcome to the world". On the stage of design in
today's world, the West World is not alone and outshine others. We should stick to and rely on the
spirit of national culture and keep on thinking creatively, and China’s design will soon be promoted
worldwide.
References:
[1] Liu Zhenwei, Traditional Culture and Interior Design, Interior,1991.2，No.18，10-11
[2] Zhang Qinnan, How to Make Chin’s Interior Design and Decoration Have Own Characteristics
2004.1, No. 113, 20-21
[3] Zheng Hong, Interior Design and Decoration, to Re-understanding the Inherent Spirit of
Traditional Culture, , 2000.7, No. 71,65-67
[4] Yang Jun "To Build Research System of Iinterior Design in a Broad Sense”, Interior Design,
1997 (4) : 5-7
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Internal Relation between Design and Culture - Chinese Cultural Characteristics Reflected in Interior
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