Design Thinking Under the Qing Dynasty

Abstract

The Qing were the last dynasty of pre-modern China before the overthrow of the Imperial system in 1910/11. They ruled a country undergoing significant change, particularly in the selective adoption of innovative design concepts, sometimes from elsewhere. The Qing sought legitimacy through strong adherence to Neo-Confucianism, centralised control, and an emphasis on traditional thinking from centuries earlier. Such backward-looking ideologies inhibited the development of more open and liberal thinking able to adapt new technologies to Chinese traditions and needs. Within the literati class there were debates over whether design should look back to classical models or should emphasise innovation and enhanced contemporary utility. Meanwhile the local consumer market was growing, with indigenous decorative arts responding creatively, but many other crafts and manufactures incorporated Western design elements. Elsewhere Europe in particular had developed a strong interest in chinoiserie or Chinese design. It was only in the creation of gardens and in architecture that design thinking remained aloof from outside influences. Ironically, it was the destruction of the Qing-era Summer Palace in Beijing that heralded the downfall of the dynasty and the partial rupture of a 3000 year tradition of Chinese design thinking.