Design Thinking Under the Ming Dynasty

Abstract

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The years of the Ming dynasty involved a number of transitions and apparent inconsistencies. Initial autocratic Neo-Confucian ideologies supporting Imperial rule gradually gave way to gentler backward-looking Confucian ideas on the place of human beings within nature. But beauty was seen as residing both in naturalistic objects and in luxurious artefacts. Scientific developments were encouraged by much greater contacts with Europe and the West, but the Imperial culture remained largely inward-looking. Nevertheless, the European market for Chinese ceramics grew significantly. The class of scholar-gentlemen, or literati, came to great prominence as arbiters of design taste, separate from the Court. They were active in creating garden landscapes, some of the crowning glories of the Ming period, but also in demanding simplicity in the design of furniture and in interior design.