Wuxing

• Main Author: Lam, Si Yun
• Other Authors: Wang I-Hsuan Cindy
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Visual arts and music::Visual arts
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/38543
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The term ‘Wuxing’ (‘five elements’, or rather ‘five phases’) is an ancient Chinese model for describing nature or “the way the world works”. Its theory is an integral part of Taoist philosophy and explains the ever-changing interactions and relationships between phenomena of nature. It is not a static concept, but emphasizes processes. Theoretically, Wuxing carries two major connotations, the categorization of the substances by the five elements and the relationship between the categories. The five elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each of the elements is associated with various aspects of nature such as colours, directions, forms of energy, climates, seasons, planets, the 5 tones of the pentatonic scale, or even livestock. They are usually depicted in a circle, which forms three cycles of which one is attributed as ‘productive’, ‘weakening’ and ‘controlling’ respectively. The idea of the 5 phases is still traceable in modern Chinese society and is especially evident in astrology or Bazi and Fengshui. It is also omnipresent in traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, music, diet and in martial arts such as Xingyiquan. The Wuxing theory has proven their validity over the last several millennia and has had an immeasurable impact on Chinese thought, culture, and everyday life. To most modern Chinese people, though, it might seem ancient and even completely foreign to Westerners. This project aims at bridging two forms of culture to make use of an important notion from the East, let it migrate to the West and return to its origin in a new form. As a result, a new way of living based on the principles of the Wuxing theory is promoted.