There’s a fine line between “defining Chinese design” and “hoping to define Chinese design”. The first assumes that it exists and can be defined. The second makes no such assumption. I’m at the latter for I also don’t believe Chinese design is mature enough to be defined.
I will try my best to summarize what I 1) HOPE to see happen , 2) BELIEVE will need to happen, 3) PREDICT will happen:
- I hope that designers seeking to find Chinese-rooted design will see that they cannot rely on the following: mimicking western/international designs or replicating Italian/Japanese/German/American/UK/etc. design and simply putting a “Chinese flair” on it and call it “Chinese design”.
- I believe that in order to establish a true Chinese-rooted design, it will need to originate from its philosophies, not simply artifacts and symbols of the past. The two major philosophies just so happen to be Taoism and Confucianism, which I believe can still have universal appeal and applicability. These two philosophies require tremendous self-reflection, study, and an overall humanistic world view in order to channel their essences into design.
- I predict that Chinese design will never take hold or have lasting, significant impact in the world of design until they adhere to #1 and #2. I also predict that ONCE Chinese design adheres to #1 and #2, other countries and cultures will realize that they, too, should self-reflect and take a more humanistic and philosophically-based approach to design in order to further their own designs.