With red lanterns, red weddings, red palatial walls and red spring couplets, lives in Beijing are shrouded in the red. The red is the color of Beijing and that of China.
From among a world of colors, red stands out the most. The color red is fresh and pure, and in China we call it China Red. Chinese people are fascinated by the color red not only because of its intoxicating vibrancy, but also because of its rich meaning in Chinese culture and history.
It is believed that no country in the world has ever adopted a color in such a thoroughgoing way as China, where red is a symbol that gives color to the soul of the nation. In the past, red stood for dignity and mystery. Even now, Chinese people adore the color much more than we love it. It is can be said that “China Red” is an eternal theme for China, and an essential color for the Chinese people. “China Red” has become a quite popular word, attracting the world’s attention.
Shooting red-colored things in China is an easy task, as its powerful presence can be found every-where. All traditional red things have been playing special roles in China: the walls of ancient palaces, the national flag, Chinese knot, lantern, couplet, clothes, traditional paper-cuts for window decorations, and even red tanghulu (sugar-coated haws on a stick).
Red is the color of the auspicious, signifying reunion, health, happiness, harmony, peace and prosperity. Only real things and events can fully display and explain its beauty. Only in its relation with people can the color be alive and meaningful.
In China, red is more than just a color. It carries the ancient history and culture of the Chinese nation. China Red is filled with mysterious charm beyond description and it is right here in China waiting for you to feel, to discover!
Red Chinese Knot (Zhonguo Jie)
Chinese knot is actually an ancient art of weaving and Chinese people have used knots as decorations since the Han Dynasty (206BC- 220). Now people in China are still intrigued by the secrets and complicated beauty of traditional red knots. “Knot” In Chinese has the meanings of reunion, friendliness, warm, marriage etc, so the red Chinese knot has come to be the symbol of reunion, luck, harmony, and love.
Traditionally, a Chinese knot must be bent, tied and crafted from a single red rope, to express the endless circle of happy life. That is the most important characteristic of Chinese Knot. By combining different knots or other auspicious adornments skillfully, a unique auspicious ornament, especially the red-colored which represents beauty, happiness and wishes, is formed.
Today, Chinese knot has become an important element of international fashion. Combining China red, form and complexity in a very traditional type of harmony, the square-shaped “True Love Knot” (tong xin jie) is the most famous type of Chinese knot. Instead of the traditional way to pop the question “will you marry me”, you can choose a light-hearted and humorous way to suggest marriage by giving your sweetheart the True Love Knot, indicating “Let’s tie the knot”.
