Ming-style Furniture, Plastic Arts, Zen

As an essential part of Chinese traditional Material Culture, Ming dynasty style furniture is not only an important component of ancient home-living but also the materializing product of the traditional spiritual culture. On one hand, Chinese traditional furniture culture, which is typified by Ming dynasty style furniture, shows the rapid development of furniture manufacturing technique. On the other hand, a kind of Chinese style is refracted through the Ming dynasty style furniture. Buddha compromises the local culture, thoughts and the art spirit since its introduction, thus enriching the traditional Chinese culture and having an important and far-reaching influence on the dynamic process of Chinese art spirit and other specific art form. Ming dynasty style furniture displays specific cultural spirit, which links men of letters and bases on the generality, creativity and adhesiveness. In this way, it backlines the spiritual meaning revealed from the furniture and links the Zen sensation, literati, craftsmen and furniture. The whole process shows a circulation of Perfect Interpenetration.The paper mainly deals with the Ming dynasty style furniture and its implied Zen sensation in order to further study the cultural and art connotation implied in the furniture. The paper is divided into three parts:The first part introduces the developing process of Ming dynasty style furniture,including the conception, category and features.The second part deals with Zen sensation and positions the inner connection between Zen sensation and Ming dynasty style furniture by analyzing the three basic features manifested in the evolution of Zen sensation. Organizational chart of relationship among Zen sensation, literati, craftsmen and furniture will be clarified. It also shows the important role the men of letters played in Zen sensation of Ming dynasty style furniture, foreshadowing the third part.The third part is the main part. It first expounds the Zen sensation context formed in Ming dynasty style furniture,including the specific historical and cultural context, and analyzes the subjective and objective reasons. Then it further analyzes how Zen sensation is displayed through Ming dynasty style furniture by discussing the"Zen sensation atmosphere","open and quiet advocacy"and"simplicity advocacy".Finally, the paper holds that shape of Ming dynasty style furniture is a charming rhythm of line under the control of Chinese traditional art and art spirit. Chinese traditional art centers the Confucianism represented by courtesy and music; art spirit is the infiltration of Taoism and Buddhism or of the Zhuang and Buddha. While Zen sensation plays a role as binder between the two. It is the generality, creativity and adhesiveness of the Zen sensation that the Ming dynasty style furniture embodies.