A Trip Down Memory Lane: Chinese Culture and Modern Design
I thought it was very interesting that Qing in Traditional Chinese Culture in Modern Product Design makes the case for the benefits of incorporating traditional Chinese elements into modern design. Evidently, Qing makes the case for thoughtfully merging east and west in the process of design which is different from the cultural appropriation that Johnson describes in “What’s Wrong with Cultural Appropriation? These 9 Answers Reveal Its Harm” of the offensive nature of adopting a culture due to the systemic power dynamics of the dominating group taking from a historically oppressed group — an example being a child wearing a Pocahontas halloween costume. I believe the two texts share similar thoughts in emphasizing the importance of understanding the meaning behind a cultural product. However, Qing comes from a standpoint of modern design’s ability to be inspired by traditional Chinese design rather than taking elements from a culture but not giving proper credit, an important distinction.
Many of the aspects that make cultural appropriation offensive comes from a lack of thoughtfulness and an ignorance of the culture and the meaning of what is being appropriated. Mass production and capitalism in contrast with craft and handmade labor is a big player when it comes to perpetuating lack of thoughtfulness in design.
As a child of Chinese immigrants, many of the points Qing makes resonates with me, namely the fact that many Chinese people have a shared ingrained cultural value when they interact with a certain product, whether that is the dragon symbol or what certain colors signify. I remember when I was shopping with my mom in 7th grade I saw what I thought was the cutest big white bow at this store and I begged my mom to buy it for me. She said she would buy a bow of any other color but that one. When I asked her why, she said that wearing white things on your head in Chinese culture signifies death and is used in Chinese funerals — the last message I wanted to give off looking cute in a bow.
I think when it comes to our modern market in the states, we don’t necessarily have that shared knowledge and meaning in the makeup of a product. It is not as if we look at a clock and see that it is made of bamboo and immediately believe that it will be a sturdy clock because of its material or that it reminds us of nature or good fortune. On the other hand, a common cooking product in Chinese cuisine is the bamboo steamer which is used to make all kinds of dim sum such as steamed pork buns. It originated in China thousands of years ago and can be seen as a vessel of thousands of years of satisfied Chinese tummies and hearts. There is a lot to learn from Chinese culture in terms of valuing products, and designing them so that they become of personal significance, remaining in the hearts of people and cultures through time.
