Utensil Made From Form, Form Created In Environment--Research On Design Thinking Of Chinese Traditional Water Raising Appliances In Late Ming Dynasty

This article is a subdivision about water of a technicality research, the series research on Art and Design in ancient China from water, fire, wood, metal and soil, presided by Professor Liu Guan-zhong in Academy of Arts and design, Tsinghua University.According to the historical development of how to make water flow from the lower place to a higher position, the author starts to investigate both the nature ecosystem and social thinking of traditional agriculture related to water raising machines. Through analyzing the series cases about the traditional water raising appliances in China, such as Shaduf, Windlass, Kewu, Fanche, Noria, etc, the author sketches the structure of the historical development of traditional water raising appliances in China, and explores the certain connection between the process of Utensil Made from Form & Form Created in Environment and the demiurgic idea in ancient China. Meanwhile, the author analyzes the interior logistic relationship in demiurgic development of traditional water raising appliances, expounds the origin of its localization and being behindhand, and announces the design idea characteristic and demiurgic principles.At the beginning of this paper, the author explains the background, methodology and significance of the research, and summarizes its interrelated situation and progress in both domestic and abroad. Chapter 2 reviews directly the corresponding relationship between water and artificial affair & object, classifies the artificial affairs and objects on water, and emphasizes one affair--how to raise water to irrigate from the lower place to the higher position, so as to put forward many appliances related to this affair. Chapter 3 focuses on the background of the occurrence and the development of irrigation from nature (such as geography climate, farm crop, farming, farm implements and produce relation, etc.), society and thinking (such as culture and thinking, humanistic economy, custom and belief, etc.), which means to investigate the related essence and its background at that situation. Chapter 4 reveals some cases on the traditional water raising appliances such as Shaduf, Windlass, Kewu, Fanche, Noria, etc. Chapter 5 presents the logic relationship on the traditional water raising appliances development in the late Ming Dynasty, which includes the logic evolution of traditional water raising appliances and the localization of their development. Chapter 6 puts forward six philosophical characteristics of design idea on water raising appliances in ancient China: 1. Advocating verity and abolishing falsity, emphasizing practicality and benefiting people;2. Man being the fundamental factor in making object, object being used for man;3. Insisting the principle of economy, saving labor, facility, simple and easy to use;4. Resorting to other object through wisdom and artifice;5. Being fit for the environment, distinguishing the truth from observing; 6. No excrescence and no affectation, advocating the simple and unadorned, emphasizing the essence and reality.In the last chapter, the author summarizes the demiurgic thinking characteristics on water raising appliance in irrigation, and expatiates the conclusion of this research.