Design and application of the illustrations of Zhuangzi

Abstract

Zhuangzi is a Chinese cultural treasure. Zhuangzi is of inestimable value due to its preservation of ancient mythological material, its literary and philosophical innovation, its eccentric imagery and rich creativity, and the strong narrative quality of its many allegories. It was often the subject of illustrations in classical works. Efforts to preserve the messages of Zhuangzi, to transform its abstract ideas into tangible forms as illustrations, and to excavate its treasures have proven to be a great struggle. The present study uses the notion of “Poetic techniques of shape-spirit transformation” proposed by Yeh et al. (2011) as its primary reference point. In her theory of the form and essence of traditional Chinese paintings, she first takes inventory to conduct a comparative analysis of modern illustrations derived from Zhuangzi, and then advances a further step toward creating a design model for transforming the artistry of Zhuangzi into illustrations.