Research Into Plant Motifs In Pre-modern Chinese Decoration

This thesis takes as its topic, research into plant motifs in pre-modern Chinese decoration.It investigates and discusses the development of plant based decorative motifs in pre-modern China, as well as related characteristics of their manufacture, humanistic factors, etc. The work hopes to help preserve and promote folk culture and "let the past serve the present".The first chapter provides an overview, and a general discussion of the intimate and harmonious connection between people and plants.The second chapter discusses plant motifs in the Springwell Period (pre-imperial to Han dynasty). In this period, plant motifs were in the stage of initial invention and development. The plants that people observed in the natural world were in their pristine state. The conversion of plant from their unadulterated state to an artistic form is a cultural phenomena whereby an object's concept is incised and its connotations enriched. It is also a process whereby the aesthetic appreciation of form, and the aesthetic evaluation of shape, are deepened.The classic motifs during the Sprigngwell Period were the Sun God flower and Sun God tree. In addition to having a definite relationship to plants in terms of their form, these types of flower petal, tree pattern and leaf shaped decorative motifs had a mystical significance within primitive religion. Thus, although pre-historic plant motifs appear as decoration, their essence lies in expressing ideas.Chapter Three discusses plant motifs in the Transformative Period (Wei, Jin, and North-South Dynasties). In this period foreign cultural influences flowed incessantly into China. Exotic cultures brought new artistic styles; they also had an impact on indigenous Chinese culture during this period of fusion. The classic motifs from this period that are chiefly examined are the lotus motif and the honeysuckle motif. China is the home the lotus plant, and the lotus flower had been used as a decorative motif since the Spring Autumn period. Its significance as symbolizing the vault of Heaven is very clear. It also shares many connotations with the Buddhist lotus flower symbol, however the latter is innovative in many ways in terms of its form. The accumulative process which led to the honeysuckle motif lies not only in its origins, but is also apparent in its form. During the Wei, Jin and North-South Dynasties, the role and influence of foreign motifs is obvious.Chapter Four discusses plant motifs in the Developmental Period (Sui and Tang dynasties). During the golden years of the Tang dynasty, there were many cross-currents between foreign and indigenous cultures, between the cultures of the central plains and of peripheral areas, between religious...