The Meanings of Red. What is the meanings of Red Color In Chinese Culture?

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Evil, rage, romance, sexy and suffocating, etc are the words which people use to describe red. Red, as a color that involves various meanings and also has been used to refer to emotional aspects and cultural connotations. In fashion, red usually presents glamour, woman's sexual power, classic and character. Take Guy Bourdin's fashion photography as an example, many of his photography pieces have involved red color to represent the seductive and weirdness theme on his works. 

'The red shoes which Judy Garland clicks together, making her wish in the Land of Oz, bring GOOD LUCK - for they transport her home to Kansas. But the red shoes of Michael Powell's film dance Moira Shearer to her dealth.' (Jarman, 1994)
The examples from above have suggested a reverse meaning of red color and this has made me think that red color is mysterious as you could explore various appearances of it. 

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The biggest reason why I choose red color as the theme of my final project is because I like the way how the color involves several meanings and has a strong association with the Chinese traditional culture. It is interesting that the meanings of red color have very different implications in Chinese culture compare to the Western culture. Red represents good luck, good fortune, blessings, happiness and popularity. In ancient China, red color gained its meaning from fire. Unlike other countries where fire has long been regarded as a symbol of danger or destruction, fire is generally considered to be a good thing in China. Nowadays, red color still remains the symbol of prosperity and happiness in Chinese culture. It is also the primary color for celebrations, especially the Lunar New Year and wedding ceremonies. Therefore, take Lunar New Year as an example, during the festival, Chinese people like to wear red clothings, decorate their house with red couplets and the streets are decorated with red lanterns. During 1949, with the founding of the People's Republic of China, red was adopted as the symbol of communism, revolution and liberation. 

Reference:

• Jarman,D. 1994. Chroma. London: Vintage 2000.
• Prettydarkhouse. 2013. Colors and Their Meanings in Chinese Culture. [Online]. Available at: https://hubpages.com/holidays/Colors-and-Their-Meanings-in-Chinese-Culture [Assessed on 05/02/17]
• Ashley at Dramatis Personae, (n.d.), unknown [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.color-hex.com/palettes/9293.png [Accessed 5 February 2017].
• Tony, (2015), https://www.flickr.com/photos/gillpenney/2184474275/sizes/z/ [ONLINE]. Available at: http://hungryhouse.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Chinese-Lanterns.jpg [Accessed 5 February 2017].