AbstractsBiology & Animal Science

This study was a systematic investigation of four Chinese textile motifs – the fret, swastika, Shou and Hsi. The purpose of this study was to analyze the variations in these motifs and their uses on textiles. The literature concerned the origin, meaning, variation and use of these four motifs and the relation among the motifs on textiles, ceramics and bronzes. The textile collections of museums in the West Coast of the United States of America, books and periodicals were the main sources of information. Since few textiles made before the Ch'ing dynasty were available, this study is mainly based upon the textiles of the Ch'ing dynasty. For the study of the variations of the motifs, the fret designs were classified as bands, allover patterns, medallions and corner designs. The swastikas were divided into single, double and multiple swastikas. The Shou were classed as rounded, long and written Shou. The Hsi did have relatively few variations, but the Shuang-Hsi were always used. The results of this study indicated that the straight fret bands and swastika-fret were most often used for costume, and fret corners and medallions were most often used for rugs. The single and multiple swastika were more often used than the double swastika. The Shou was used a great deal on costumes to wish long life. Three different Shou pairs were favorite motifs for the imperial robes. Medallion and band forms were employed for the rugs and mandarin squares. The Hsi was mainly used for the wedding objects and often for the symbol of joy.