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Chinese FengShui culture and western interior design LITERATURE
REVIEW
1. Introduction
This is a project combinative Chinese FengShui culture and
western interior design for a new Chinese home interior. In
the part of project--literature review is secondary research;
the author will research on Chinese FengShui culture, western
interior design, psychology. That is most impotent part for
the all of the project.
2. Chinese culture
2.1 Chinese FengShui culture
2.1.1 What is FengShui?
Feng means "wind", and Shui means "water".
In Chinese culture, gentle wind and smooth water have always
been associated with a good harvest and good health, while
harsh winds and stagnant water have been linked to famine
and disease. Therefore, "good"FengShui has come
to good livelihood and forture, and "bed"FengShui
has come to mean hardship and misfortune. FengShui is not
a superstition or a set of dos and don'ts. It is the art and
science of understanding the forces of nature in order to
design houses and workplaces that blend with the environment
instead of clashing with it. It aims to help us live in harmony
with the world by promoting the flow of positive energy and
neutralizing or avoiding negative or destructive energy. Like
traditional Chinese medicine, FengShui has a rich and subtle
tradition with a standardized body of knowledge that takes
years of formal training to master.
It is considered that the environment we live in is an integral
element in the art of living. Based on the interactions of
the Solar System (heaven), one's living environment (earth),
and one's birth date (individual), FengShui is the system
that with mathematics uncovers the most favoralve directions
to live and work in.
FengShui is the Chinese science and art which harmonizes one's
environment with the universal patterns inherent in nature-it
is the ultimate are of living in a harmonious environment.
FengShui can identify where its most advantageous for you
to move and how to create a beneficial environment. FengShui
can also indicate which colors will elevate your personal
living space, and how to change your workplace, business,
or home into centers of power.
The Chinese of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and
those living abroad have long known about FengShui. Today,
more and more people businesses, and corporations around the
globe are applying essential FengShui principles in order
to gain positive shifts in their lives. It is experiencing
a massive revival in the western world, including the United
States, Canada, Australia and Europe. It has mainstream appeal
as more and more people become aware of its wonderful benefits
and have develop a desire to live in harmony with the earth's
natural environment.
(http://www.fengshuiatwork.com/introduction.html)
2.1.2 The two branches of FengShui
FengShui has two branches: the Landform Classification (ti-li)
branch and the Building Characteristics (chai-yun). The Landform
Classification branch how energy flows over, around, and through
mountains, rivers, and valleys, and how the energy connected
with nearby landforms, as well as roads and buildings, can
affect a building or burial site. The Building Characteristics
branch studies the flow of energy within a structure and how
it affects the occupants. Expert practitioners are trained
in both branches of FengShui.
2.1.3 The history of FengShui
FengShui have a long history in Chinese culture, and today
is in use throughout the western world. Form 25 A.D. during
the East Han Dynasty, the first written evidence about Feng
Shui has been uncovered. Moreover it is widely held that FengShui
theory is primarily based on Yin and Yang theory-"everything
needs to be balanced or leveled." With Yin and Yang theory
known to be at its height of popularity during the period
of 770 B.C. to 475 B.C., we can conclude that FengShui roots
are from this same period.
FengShui masters were highly regarded professionals by the
emperors: kept a secret to the commoners in order to strengthen
the emperor's power and their thrones. The public at this
time was not aware about the existence of FengShui. Feng Shui
professionals were highly regarded and very well awarded;
though lived a life of humility and lifetime devotion. Strict
criteria were applied to those who chose to be an apprentice.
Also, they tried to steal this guarded secret. For many FengShui
masters it was a family profession-passed throughout generations
within their families. Most of the teachings were done verbally-or
manifested in the form of poems students had to learn.
During the Yellow Bandits Rebellion in 907 B.C. an astronomer
and the emperor's meteorologist, fled the Imperial Palace.
Hiding out in the mountains in the northwest region of Chiang
Sze province he especially helped the poor with his collections
on FengShui be took the Palace. He renamed himself as Save
the Poor and is remembered for making the commoners aware
of this long kept secret of FengShui.
Today, many have heard folklore on how FengShui has managed
to save lives and bring prosperity. However, his folklore
has also created an atmosphere for "FengShui remedies"
such as crystals, red front doors, and others that have on
foundation in the science of FengShui. Good as they might
sound, their origin seems to be bonded to Chinese culture-not
in the mechanics of QI (energy) flow. They seem to be exotic
and interesting to Western cultures-however has no or little
effect on the energy flow within a building, and can be regarded
as placebo.
The true art and application of FengShui is a scholarly study
and is unimpeded by superstition. In the United States in
the early 1990's, the University of Southern California and
Northrop University jointly sponsored course in FengShui.
Others have joined, and this recognition of the true art and
practice of FengShui is important to its legitimate use in
western culture.
( http: www fengshuiatwork.com/history.html)
2.2 The theory of FengShui
2.2.1 Yin and Yan
Yin and Yang is a foundation theory for FengShui that supports
many theories including the Five Elements theory and the Environment.
FengShui is based on the principle of Yin and Yang. Balance,
harmony, consistent change, and the interdependency of all
things are but a few of the deep meaning within this simple
representation. Yang representing heat and light is rising
and Yin representing cold and darkness descends. These are
just two of the many examples of logic and insight to be discovered
within this image.
Yang
Active
Hot
Life
Summer
Male
Day
Odd
Sun
Fire
Yin
Passive
Cold
Death
Winter
Female
Night
Even
Moon
Water
Shown above, the image represents the true orientation of
the Yang and Yin. Yang, representing heat rises on the left
(or East) and reaches its peak at the top (South). Yin representing
coolness descends of the right (West) and reaches it's maximum
at the bottom (North).
Another analogy is that the sun rises in the East, reaches
its hottest at noon and sets in the west, soon reaching its
darkest. Yet within Yin there is a seed of Yang waiting to
arise and within Yang there is Yin waiting to descend. This
analogy can be applied to time, seasons, directions, and many
other cycles of change.
2.2.2 Five Elements
2.2.3 The Environment
The environmental aspects are what most people immediately
think of when they consider FengShui. Things such as not having
sharp corners pointed at them and not living under high tension
power lines are a couple of common examples that everyone
either knows or can understand. Other environmental aspects
such as living next to a freeway or a construction site are
considered unfavorable. The elimination of "sha"
of evil influences and strengthening those environmental aspects
that are good is what an environmental analysis recommends.
These are but a few examples of what needs to be examined
during an analysis.
2.2 FengShui theory for the interior design
Interior design can take on many different appearances, but
the successful design of your environment, is dependent upon
understanding your goals and objectives beautiful environments
begin with listening to your needs and understanding your
goals and objectives. They are created using analytical problem
solving skills, experience and talent. It is your space and
they are your ideas, it is our job to assist you in achieving
the achieving the environment your desire, FengShui will design
a space that creates the environment that you are looking
for.
Fengshui of modern domicile has combined the fengshui culture
in the modern domicile.
Has explain what is modern fengshui? The meaning of modern
Fengshui is professional subject that research on the relationship
between habitation environments and interior overall arrangement.
The combination of experience and practice made from modern
Fengshui. There are 12 sections in this book:
1. How to set the position of the door by Fengshui -the four
lucky way of the door and the lucky color of the door.
2. Drawing room and Fengshui -the ornaments of furniture.
3. Bedroom and Fengshui - the ornaments of bed.
4. Children room and Fengshui -the internal layout of the
children room
5. Sanctum and Fengshui -the ornaments of office articles.
6. Kitchen and Fengshui -the lucky color of the kitchen and
the lucky way of the kitchen.
7. Washing room and Fengshui
8. Terrace and Fengshui -the fortunate thing of Terrace.
9. Garden and Fengshui - thirteen lucky plants for the garden
And eight exorcise plant for a house, the effect of the fresh
flowers for the house.
10. Magnetic field of the house-change the article of Magnetic
field and the fortunate thing for the house.
11. Situation of office-the seat of ideal for the office and
the ornaments of office articles.
12. Addenda.
Zheng (2002),
In this book, the author can find a lot of information about
lucky ways and fortunate thing of the house. And the book
has showed me all of the fortunate thing photographs
3 The relation of FengShui and psychology
3.1The theory of psychologies
3.2The relation of FengShui and Psychology
The key to location and house decoration. The author of this
book is a famous interior designer and Geomancer Taian Du,
and he is a Buddhist monk. This is a book that describes the
relationship between Chinese Fengshui culture and psychology.
Author use true story to analyze the effect of Chinese Fengshui
culture in consumer's psychology. The author understands the
relationship between Chinese Fengshui culture and consumer's
psychology through this book.
This book last part has told what is the box and needle. The
box and needle is use for the testing the five directions
- east, west, south, north and middle in the Fengshui culture,
Du (2004)
4 The style of interior design
4.1The English style of interior design
England has always been a country of individual house and
well-tended gardens, where privacy and a sense of self-containment
are important elements. The urban building booms of the early
part of the century, which produced the rows of Victorian
terrace houses, have furnished city dwellers with thousands
of one-family residences. For decades, the English middle-class
interior was dominated by what have been called "the
three piece suite mentality." The chunky sofa and two
easy chairs in dark nubby matching fabric were considered
the most important and enduring of furnishings for the home.
(Cliff 1984's)
Since the late 1960's, David Hicks, the interior decorator,
has been responsible for the creation of a sophisticated style
based on the juxtaposition of geometric patterns that has
become synonymous with the urban town-house look. It is a
style that is an adroit stepping-stone between a traditional
point of view and a modern sensibility. The look of a room
and its high styling became all important, cardboard and inflatable
furniture, bold graphics and dramatic lighting, were the preferred
choice of the young and upwardly mobile.
(Hicks 1960's)
While it was the English design scene of the 1960's with its
loud and startling graphics, untraditional attitudes, and
revolutionary ideas that were so influential on an international
level-it is the calmer and more romantic English country house
look in its various guises that has been over the last few
years one of the country's most exportable interior design
commodities, especially in the united states, the rose-covered
cottages, the dressers filled with blue and white china, the
comfortable sofas upholstered in blowsy faded chintz, the
scrubbed pine kitchen tables, are all decorating elements
that promise an instant pedigree and have been adapted in
part because of this appeal.
English style today is a synthesis of various tendencies that
reach back into the country's history and culture. Its contemporary
interpretation not only respects the past but also seems to
be in the process of presenting a new kind of pared-down image
that is more in keeping with the 1980s. It is, not surprisingly,
a rather understated design message. For all of its diversity
of expression of all a livable style.
(Cliff 1984's 1st)
The Phaidon atlas of contemporary world architecture. The
subject of architecture is so vast that it takes a great deal
of experience and observation over a number of years before
any sensible conclusions can be made. It's not only a matte
of style, but of clients, locations and materials; inspiration,
history and politics; environment, tradition, the sun and
the sky; and of moving in, though and under a building.
Arranged in the geographical order familiar from the incomparable
times atlas of the world, Phaidon's atlas provides a long-exposure
snapshot of the world's best architecture from 1998 to 2003.
From this array o about 5,500 photographs, and 2,000 drawing,
the most comprehensive picture imaginable can be built up
of what currently construes architectural fashion. In spite
of the European/North American bias of the selection, there
are many surprises here, because architect's work in. for
example, South America generally receives very little coverage
in out press.
Phaidon, (2003)
This is a book that relevant with contemporary world architecture,
there are plenty of photos and drawing of contemporary world
architecture.
4.2Modem and simple
The modeling is succinct, few decoration. Use the light condition
of nature, by way of the color, and the material to comprehensive
utilization. A modem style house can be a single large living
space or else a complex sequence of interlocking living spaces,
pure and white, act as a foil to surrounding nature, much
like Greek temples. Modem house are composed of abstract plants
and volumes. Simple in modern house of the 1920s and 1930s,
now these are often rich and complex.
The London gardener, known to regular readers of the Sunday
telegraph as the Urban Gardener, Thompson is an experienced
gardener of great repute, who over the past decade has guided
tens of thousands of amateurs through the ins and outs of
the innocent pleasure of town gardening. Inspired by Thomas
Fairchild's the city gardener (1722)-one of the earliest and
most remarkable surveys of the activity of urban gardening
in the metropolis. Thomson is a modern-day Fairchild, and
her book conveys a rapturous enthusiasm for the cultivation,
appreciation and improvement of city gardens.
The aim of this book is quite simply to encourage Londoners
to get out and garden: gardens contribute to the enjoyment
of city living, and an amateur knowledge of this 'trifling
pursuit' has the potential to enhance the daily round. In
the stifling bosom of the town, no plant display is too much
humble to lift our sprits; there is inspiration every where,
in the most improbable places. In this book, we are advised
how we can make the best of the age-old constraint s of shade,
heavy infertile soil, slugs and polluted air.
Thompson (2001)
This is a useful book for my project; the author learned British
style garden design from this book. And combined the British
style garden design with Chinese Fengshui culture in this
project.
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