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Arts & Communication

ARTICLE
Cultural connotation and bionic design

application of foliage plants in Chinese gardens

2
1,2
Siqi Lin and Wei Liu *
1 Department of Design Studies, School of Art, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
2 Department of Industrial Design, College of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry
University, Nanjing, China

Abstract

Since the dawn of time, foliage plants have been the primary plant material used
in the design of Chinese landscape gardens, and their rich cultural and historical
heritage can serve as inspiration for design improvement and innovation. This study
categorizes the decorative traits of foliage plants into three categories, aiming to
explore their cultural characteristics and design applications. Special attention is given
to the folkloric, cultural, religious, and totemic meanings of foliage plants. The various
forms of bionic design based on the application of foliage plants are categorized and
illustrated with specific cases. This exploration includes perspectives of morphology,
texture, function, and imagery, all rooted in the theory of bionic design. The beauty of
natural art, the humanistic attitude, and the advancement of function, material, and
technology in product design can all be reflected in foliage plants as design elements.

Keywords: Natural artistic esthetics; Traditional oriental culture; Case studies; Humanistic
*Corresponding author:
Wei Liu feature
(liuwei@njfu.edu.cn)
Citation: Lin S, Liu W. Cultural
connotation and bionic
design application of foliage 1. Introduction
plants in Chinese gardens.
Arts & Communication. China has developed a unique Chinese gardening system since the Yin and Shang
2024;2(1):1854 dynasties. Foliage plants, as one of the primary components of garden plants, not
https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1854 only provide a vibrant natural environment but are also associated with many cultural
Received: September 18, 2023 connotations and emotional factors. With diverse shapes, seasonal color changes, and
1
Accepted: November 3, 2023 strong vitality, foliage plants inspire humans to attribute various symbolic meanings
or personality traits to them. The cultivation of leafy plants has evolved with human
Published Online: February 8, 2024 culture. At the same time, having foliage plants at home can provide people with a sense
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). of health, comfort, and ecological healing. They offer advantages in form, function, and
This is an Open-Access article culture when applied to bionic design. Furthermore, they can provide new ideas for
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution optimizing products in terms of modeling, structure, texture, materials, technology, and
License, permitting distribution, other aspects to break through the traditional design pattern.
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is Given the wide application of foliage plants, current studies mainly focus on the fields
properly cited. of ecological performance, planting management, and greening application. Although
Publisher’s Note: AccScience foliage plants have been used since ancient times in areas such as painting and textile
Publishing remains neutral with design, their usage as an inspiration for contemporary product design has not received
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional much attention. Simultaneously at the same time, the definition of various types of
affiliations. bionic design with regard to foliage plants has not yet been clarified.

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1854