Research On Traditional Folklore Furniture In Xiangxi Regin

This paper probes deeply into a field investigation on the traditional folklore furniture in Xiangxi region. On the basis of making an analysis on the geographical characteristics of Xiangxi region, this paper extends to the material, structure, design and decoration of the traditional folklore furniture. Research of this paper broadens the scope of studies on geographical traditional folklore furniture in China. In the meantime, this paper complements and enriches relative content of national and folk art culture in Xiangxi region. With the theoretical basis of folklore sociology, folklore culture, wood material science and furniture design, this paper employs the research methods of field investigation, literature review, comparative method, experimental method and case study analysis and makes a category classification on the traditional folklore furniture in Xiangxi region that remain until now. With the research background of the great environment of territory in Xiangxi region, this paper makes a relatively in-depth study on the material, structure, design and decoration of the traditional folklore furniture in Xiangxi region. The aim is to get a mastery of the folk characteristics and cultural connotation of the research object, with the expectation of deeply excavating the formation, development and cultural features of the traditional folklore furniture in Xiangxi region and looking into its future.The overall characteristics of the traditional folklore furniture in Xiangxi region are as follows:top practical functions of furniture and pursuit of comfort. The furniture material follows the principle of cheap material and takes natural material and territorial material as the priority choice. The structure of the furniture inherits the mortise and tenon joint structure and develops the hoop bucket structure and breakdown structure that have territorial folklore features. The creation idea of "use oriented", the use principle of natural frugalness and the aesthetical thought of pursuit of truth and reality are the characteristics of design and decoration of the traditional folklore furniture.The traditional folklore furniture in Xiangxi region mainly uses cedarwood, pine wood, ovate catalpa wood, camphorwood, nanmu, ailanthus and beech as the mainly materials and pearwood, weeping cypress, poplar and bamboo and rattan are relatively rarely used. The surface coating materials are mainly raw lacquer or mixture of raw lacquer and tung oil. This paper makes identification on the names of the varieties of trees on the wood samples used by part of the traditional folklore furniture collected in the process of investigation and survey of the subject. The eight collected texture samples are distinguished. The name of the variety of trees of two texture samples is camphorwood, the name of the variety of trees of three texture samples is nanmu, the name of the variety of trees of two texture samples is ovate catalpa wood and the name of the variety of trees of one texture sample is weeping cypress.In the process of usage, the traditional folklore furniture may take changes in the texture as a result of the reasons of environment temperature, humidity, biological media and illumination and other reasons, mainly including the changes of color fading and change of color of coating material on the surface, pulverization, fracturing and desquamation and other changes. However, attrition, damage by worms, corrosion and mildew calamity are the major performance of the texture change of timber component of furniture. Changes in the texture of the traditional folklore furniture may have impacts on the beauty of the furniture, reduce the mechanical strength of corresponding components, affect the overall safety of the furniture and speed up natural defacement of the traditional folklore furniture. Influences of texture change on the traditional folklore furniture have to arouse high attention.On one hand, the traditional folklore furniture in Xiangxi region inherits the mortise and tenon joint structure. On the other hand, the furniture develops and forms the hoop bucket structure and breakdown structure that have national, territorial and life color. The traditional folklore furniture has a structure that purposely seeks for conciseness and goodness of fit and emphasizes practicality.In the context of design culture with the major characteristics of "multi-cultural fusion" and "the ecological view of natural harmony", the traditional folklore furniture corresponds with the image of objects and lets nature takes its course; it is dedicated to use and brings benefit to people and lays emphasis on practical use in terms of furniture functions; it studies and estimates the right and wrong in terms of the shape and structure of furniture and lets each take its appropriateness. In this way, the design value characteristics of such major content as the creation idea of "use oriented", the usage principle of nature and frugalness and the aesthetical thought of pursuit of truth and pursuit of reality are formed.The following are the decoration connotation of the traditional folklore furniture in Xiangxi region:the life idea of "integration of man and the nature", the life pursuit of "optimism and generosity", the ethical culture of "implicitness and mildness", the beautiful expectation of "blessing and Nagy", the soul pray of "exorcism and warding off calamity" and the aesthetical sentiment of "simplicity and nature". The major decoration means include decoration of color, decoration of patterning, decoration of engraving and decoration of hardware. Decoration of color, decoration of patterning and decoration of engraving are frequently used, while decoration of metal ornament and decoration of wax are merely assistant decoration means.