How Life Associated with Colors in Chinese Culture

How Life Associated with Colors in Chinese Culture -- Utilizing Colors Based-on Chinese Five-Essence Theory

Tien-Rein Lee Department of Graphic Communications, Chinese Culture University e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Chinese believe in that Feng-shui, Ch'i, Tao, Yin and Yang are the major components rooted in the Chinese culture. Almost everyone knows the life has to balancing and harmonizing with the nature and the universe through Eight-gau (diagram) and Five-essence. The ancient wisdom interwoven with the mankind and the nature world successfully. Elements such as orientation, season, color, sound, facial organ, viscera, stars, and numbers can be associated with life through Five-essence Theory tightly. Since color is one of the major components of the Five-essence Theory, everything of our life can be associated with colors through a conjointed converting process. Color selection and combination process is part of the interactions between human beings and the universe. Depending on the destination one is pursuing, Five-essence Theory model can be treated as the interface between destiny to human beings. This study reports how life is associated with Chinese Five-essence based models and paradigms. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs model, and various communication process models were also used to explain how Chinese utilizing Five-essence Theory to select colors for their daily life. For example, by checking personal birth data, one's personalized color scheme can be proposed through Five-essence Theory. Keywords: Color, Feng-Shui, Chi, Tao, Yin-Yang, Five-essence Theory, Eight-gua（diagram）, Color Selection

Conjoint Diagrams of Eight-gua（diagrams）, Nine Stars, Heavenly Stems, Ten Numbers, and Earthly Branches of Five-Essence Reciprocal Generation and Restriction (Creative-Destructive) Model 1

Color Comprehensive Diagram of Orientations of Eight-gua and Five-essence

F ive O rie n ta tio n s

F o u r S e a so n s

F ive C olo rs

F ive S o u n d s

Select Colors

F ive R eg u la tio n s

Projected Color Alternatives

F ive V is ce ra

Creative - Destructive Theory

5-Essence Theory

5-Essence Attribution

4 Pairs / 8 Characters

Personal Data: Birth Date / Time

F ive F a cia l-O rga n

E ig ht G u a

N ine S ta rs

T e n H e a ve n ly S te m s

T e n N u m be rs

T w e lve E a rth B ra n ch e s

Color Selection and Combination Process by Means of Personal Data Through Five-essence Theory 2

Presenting Author: Tien-Rein Lee, Ph.D. Chinese Culture University Center for Information & Communications

55 Hwa-Kang Rd. Yang-Ming-Shan Taipei, Taiwan 111 Phone : 886-2-2861-5945 Faxail : 886-2-2861-5594 E-mail: [email protected] Speaker Qualifications:

Tien-Rein Lee is the Director of the Center for Information and Communications and the Chair of the Graduate school of Graphic Communications in the College of Communications at Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Printing from the Department of Graphic Arts at CCU. He earned two Master of Arts degrees, one in Art Design from UCLA and the other in Journalism from Chinese Culture University. He received his PhD from the Department of Culture and Communications at New York University in New York City. Prior to chairing the Center for Information and Communications at CCU, and the Dept. of Graphic Communications, he worked as the Dean of General Affairs at Chinese Culture University. He won two Golden Harvest Awards for the best animation and experimental films; directed two films- National Anthem-the Landscape, Taipei-Taipei (both produced by Central Film Ltd.); judging various film awards include the Golden Horse, the Golden Bell, the Golden Song Awards; designed visual effects for National Theater and National Music Hall; curator for public arts of the Taipei Metro Rapid Transit System. During 1992–1993, he was the Managing Director of the China Art Printing Corporation, one of the largest printers in Taiwan. His current academic project involves developing an index of the color preferences of Chinese, studies on visual simulation, and Digital Earth related topics.

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