ZHAN Wei, PENG Ya, YU Hong
(Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi 333403, Jiangxi, China)

Extended Abstract: [Background and purpose] This paper is based on two research backgrounds. (1) According to the results of the National Social Science Foundation of China's "Research on the Cultural Construction and Design of Contemporary Chinese Living Ceramic Vessels", the artifact concept of traditional Chinese ceramic creations was elaborated. From the "Tao" into "vessels", Chinese traditional ceramics and contemporary ceramics are in the same vein and have the same cultural genes. The study on contemporary Chinese living ceramics is inseparable from the study of traditional ceramic creations. (2) A theoretical basis was provided for "goodness" in the research of ceramic design. It helps to guide the designers to pay more attention to cultural connotation and social responsibility in the creative process. Ceramic design is not only the pursuit of beauty, but also the practice of goodness. By integrating the concept of "goodness" into the thinking of design, designers can better balance the relationship between tradition and modernity, function and aesthetics, and individual and society, so as to create ceramic works that are both beautiful and practical, rich in cultural connotation and in line with the requirements of sustainable development.[Methods] Three research methods are used, including literature analysis, image analysis and data comparison. Literature analysis is used to understand the cultural connotation of "goodness" in traditional Chinese ceramics, by collecting, identifying and sorting out relevant literature. Through the analysis of the shape, decoration, function and meaning of different ceramic categories, the picture analysis method is employed to intuitively show the value scale of "goodness" in different categories of ceramics. Through the analysis of the proportion of "practical function", "aesthetic function" and "ceremony", the specific scale range of "goodness" in different ceramic categories is obtained, which can be quantitatively defined. With the combination of these three methods, the scale of "goodness" in traditional Chinese ceramics could be explored from multiple perspectives, thus laying a solid foundation for understanding and studying the concept of objects in traditional Chinese ceramics from the perspective of "goodness".[Results] In the design of traditional Chinese ceramics, "goodness" is an evaluation scale that defines the category of ceramic objects, including both material and spiritual fields. Traditional Chinese ceramics mainly include three types of utensils: practical utensils, appreciative utensils, and utensils in line with the etiquette system. The first category covers practical life utensils. In this category, practical functions are more important than aesthetic functions and functionality is the first requirement, so that the "good" is "functional". The second category belongs to furnishings, were aesthetic is greater than function or aesthetic function is the first requirement, so that "beauty" is "good". The third category belongs to ceramic ritual vessels, where the spiritual needs of "rites" are the first requirements, so that the requirements of "rites" are "goodness". In the ceramic categories with different functions and environments, the value scale embodied in "goodness" is different, while there is a mutual conversion relationship between the material and spiritual realms. "Goodness" refers to the functional value in the material field, whereas the utility is to directly meet the material needs of people and society in production and life. In the spiritual realm, it refers to aesthetic and ethical values, which provide a value scale for creative activity. There is also functional value that belongs to both the material and spiritual fields. The "goodness" in ceramic creations is often not a separate presentation of a certain perspective, but a multi-dimensional and multi-level embodiment, which has the characteristics of specificity, variability and epochality.[Conclusions] The ancient Chinese ceramic creations contain materialistic functions, including serving the people, valuing beauty over use and embodying ritual through utensils. Its original characteristics and cultural diversity metaphorically convey the ethical principles of "goodness" in creation, which includes many connotations of traditional Chinese philosophy of creation, craftsmanship, aesthetic trends and institutional etiquette. From the perspective of design and culture, there are three categories of artifacts, i.e., practical ceramics, decorative ceramics and ceramic ritual vessels, which have different scale ranges of "goodness". Noting the current development trend of sustainable design, new thoughts are proposed on the relationship between the cultural connotation of "goodness" and "tools", in order to provide ideas and texts for the future development of handicrafts.
Key words: traditional ceramics; creation; view of objects; goodness