The Relationship Between Scholar Tastes In Song Dynasty And Handicrafts

Song Dynasty is an era when elegant and popular culture was paralleled developing. On the one hand, a vast social class of scholars and bureaucrats came into being with lifted social status due to the civilization-oriented state policy and the improvement of civil service examination system. The scholar-bureaucrats class became the leading models of the spirit of the time guiding the cultural fashions and trends in Song Dynasty. On the other hand, urban commercial industry was prosperously developing with thousands of types of professionals. Therefore, diversified popular cultures were born and growing, one of which was delicate arts and crafts. Under such background, the arts and crafts in Song Dynasty shows features shared and enjoyed by both high social class and the masses.This research analyzes the causes and influences of the scholar tastes and culture under the Song Dynasty background. The scholar states represents the new aesthetic standard and art aspirations. First, influenced by the scholar tastes, identification and appreciation of antiques became a fashion, stationery gradually turned into both functional and art products and, some research books and articles related to antiques appeared. First of all ,among the study stationery handicrafts, the refined articles for writing and other interesting items were in the fact for collection and appreciation. Second, the scholar states in the Song Dynasty led to the occurrence of many other handicrafts just for appreciation instead of daily uses, such as bizarre stones, porcelains with images full of imagination, utensils for aromatherapy, vases, chess. Moreover, the scholar tastes in Song Dynasty also penetrated into other handicrafts, such as the use of"poem, calligraphy and painting"decorations in the porcelains of the time, the new-born embroidery skills and products especially Gesi and calligraphy and painting embroidery, the spread of images representing scholar tastes in decorations especially sijunzi and suihansanyou. Third, the scholar states made the arts and handicrafts be characterized of elegance and fresh. Their textures feel smooth and gentle like jade. Their figures look scholarly. Their character shows far from vulgar.The features of scholarly and elegant handicrafts in Song Dynasty had a long-lasting and vast impact on the arts and handicrafts in the following dynasties of China and those in the empires such as Japan and Korea. The occurrence and development of the scholar tastes in Song Dynasty had more evident influences on the arts and handicrafts in Yuan, Min and Qing dynasties and the artistic designs in modern and present China.This study makes several major conclusions. First, Song Dynasty is the beginning dynasty when scholar tastes penetrated into handicrafts. Second, the scholar states in Song Dynasty improved the aesthetic standard of the handicrafts of the time. Third, in Song Dynasty, functional utensils turned into arts for appreciation. Last but not least, the materialization of scholar tastes became an important feature of Chinese arts and handicrafts.