A Study On Traditional Washstand In The Area Of Wuling Mountain

The area of Wuling Mountain stretches across 71 counties (cities, districts) of Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing and Guizhou Province. In additional to Han Ethnic Group, there are also 9 native minorities living in this area. The population of minorities is nearly half of the total population in this area. In China, the Tujia Ethnic Group mainly gathers in high mountain areas of Wuling Mountain and the second largest minority of this area is Miao Ethnic Group, and the following minorities are Dong Ethnic Group, Bai Ethnic Group and Gelao Ethnic Group. Under the background of strong atmosphere of minorities and the specificity of geographical environment in this area, this land has nourished the rich minority culture and traditional history-related connotation. Not only does the furniture have the functionality responsibility, but also is the medium of spiritual civilization. Studying the traditional folklore furniture can enrich and fill the folklore content of traditional furniture field in China.This project takes the furniture of traditional washstand in Wuling Mountain areas as the research object. By adopting the document analysis method, this paper analyzes the natural and historical background of this area and reveals the usage environment of traditional washstand. In accordance with the research of existing literature and historical documents, this paper finds out that the development and evolution of traditional washstand is indispensably related to the local natural resources, economic development level, the mutual integration among the cultures of each ethic group and the influence of interior decoration atmosphere in the building. Meanwhile, by adopting the field research method, the author goes to the existing Wuling Mountain area to find the traditional furniture of washstand. Then, the author arranges the photos and notes and takes them as the research basis to analyze its design characteristic, materials characteristic, structural feature and decoration feature. The design characteristic of traditional washstand in Wuling Mountain area reflects the integration of multi-ethic cultures and bears the ethnic group’s spiritual belief and follows the favorable climate, geographical and human conditions. The material characteristic of traditional washstand is to persist in the rule of adjusting measures to local conditions, using the local materials and applying the combination of multi-materials. The functional-type components of traditional washstand in this area is classified clearly, with diversified models, thus continuing the Chinese traditional furniture’s technique of tenon and mortise structure and presenting the complex, varied, scientific, reasonable, beautiful and implicit structure feature. The decoration feature is presented with axisymmetric modeling beauty, design pattern with rich themes and strongly conservative color schemes.The traditional washstand furniture of Wuling Mountain area bears the rich folklore connotation and epochal aesthetic value. With the rapid development and increasingly rich concept of culture and art today, how to extract and inherit the beauty of traditional culture and art is worthy of being thought about and practiced for us.