Aesthetic Culture Research On The Architectural Decoration Of Shanshan Guild Hall In The Ming And Qing Dynasties

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,Shanxi and Shaanxi merchants built hundreds of Shanxi and Shaanxi guildhalls for the purpose of friendship,management of commerce,narration of local conditions,respect for gods and running dwelling place.They are grand in scale,magnificent in majesty,and falsely painted with gold.They are the perfect unity of royal architecture and folk houses.Their architectural structure and decoration have rich aesthetic and cultural values.Academic circles haven’t discussed and studied it thoroughly and systematically yet.On the basis of a large number of first-hand data obtained from field research,this paper makes a detailed textual research,combs and analyses the causes,development,distribution and functions of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall as well as the general characteristics of its architecture.The spatial structure of Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall embodies the Confucian philosophical thoughts of "walking in the middle" and "dancing in harmony",and has the rational beauty of symmetry and orderliness in the middle axis;its design pursues the aesthetic implication of Taoism,which is in harmony with nature and the environment;it generates a musical sense of rhythm and harmony in the overall layout of "gathering","exhibiting" and "ascending" with the repeated eaves of Xishan Mountain and the changes of height.Dynamic beauty.The leading area of the guild hall is mainly composed of glittering walls,magnificent iron flagpole,mighty and festive stone lions and quiet and lofty mountain gates;the entertainment area is composed of tall bell and drum towers,magnificent theatre buildings and steady and heavy left and right chambers;the sacrificial area is composed of golden and brilliant halls,scattered matching halls and elegant and pure Spring and Autumn buildings.The whole building components of Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall show the aesthetic characteristics of dragon-flying-phoenix dance,agility and lofty,complex and rich,solemn and elegant.The architectural decoration of Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall is beautiful with five carvings under one roof.Colored glaze carving dragon dances and has thousands of meteorological features,showing the inheritance and Transcendence of traditional aesthetic images;stone carving art is rich in implication,simple and natural,dignified and mysterious,powerful and humorous;brick carving theme is rich and colorful,image combination is free and random,simple and elegant,noble and solemn,lively,delicate and smooth;and luxurious and complex,vivid wood carving and vigorous atmosphere.Iron sculpture art is not only a masterpiece of ancient Chinese sculpture art,but also conveys a very rich aesthetic cultural connotation.The architectural decoration of Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall integrates temple culture,Confucianism,Buddhism and Taoism,commercial culture,folk culture and Shanxi-Shaanxi regional culture,so it has rich aesthetic and cultural functions such as religious belief,identity,nostalgia comfort and cultural dissemination.Through the worship of Guan Gong and the religious enlightenment of the integration of the three gods and the three religions,the guild hall enables Shanxi and Shaanxi businessmen to obtain spiritual sustenance and spiritual tranquility.The guild hall has created many images and symbols with strong commercial and cultural characteristics in architectural decoration,which shows the businessmen high recognition of their profession.Shanxi and Shaanxi businessmen also pursue the image of Confucian businessmen and the identity of local geo-culture.As the spiritual home of Shanxi-Shaanxi merchants wandering abroad,Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall has played an important role in soothing nostalgia and promoting the aesthetic communication function of Shanxi-Shaanxi’s excellent history and culture in the place of guest residence.Studying the aesthetic features and cultural functions of the architectural decoration of Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall in Ming and Qing Dynasties will help us to inherit and carry forward the excellent traditional culture and inspire us to re-examine the historical status of businessmen in feudal society.In the contemporary society where commercial civilization is becoming more and more dominant,we need to open up a broader horizon for the study of philosophy,aesthetics,art,sociology and cultural history,so as to open up a new horizon for the study of aesthetic culture in Shanxi-Shaanxi Guildhalls.