Colours in China

Chinese traditional belief is that there are five elements - water, fire, wood, metal and earth. It is believed that these elements created everything.

Each element corresponds to certain colour. Water to black, fire to red, wood to blue-green, metal to white and earth to yellow.

This relation leads us to the natural movement of heaven and the heavenly Tao.

People chose clothes, food, transportation and housing according to changes in nature during the year.

One of the oldest Chinese collection of texts I Ching (Yi Jing) or like it is sometimes called Book of Changes treats black as colour of heaven. Why? It is believed the northern sky was black for a long time.

White represented gold. It is a symbol of brightness, purity, and fulfilment.

White is also the colour of mourning. So, people at funerals wear white.

Still the most popular colour for Chinese people in the past and today is red.

Red symbolizes good fortune and joy

During Chinese New Year or any other holiday red is everywhere. Red is a symbol good fortune and joy.

Blue-green colour symbolizes the spring when everything is full of life, positive energy.

There is an old Chinese saying „Yellow generates Yin and Yang“ meaning that the yellow is center of everything.

In Chinese folk stories yellow is the colour of emperors. There is lot of yellow in Chinese palaces and temples.

Yellow also means being free from all everyday stuff.