National Publication Fund Project "Research on the Design of Element Codes for Chinese Opera Costume Patterns" Published

December 2, 2024, New York (Reported by Lin Chen)
Professor: Yang Qingqing
The book *Research on the Design of Element Codes for Chinese Opera Costume Patterns*, authored by Professor Yang Qingqing of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, has officially been published as part of a National Publication Fund project. A new book launch event was recently held at the East Branch of the Shanghai Library. Attendees included Hu Guoqiang, Chairman of the Shanghai Publishing Association, Lü Ruifeng, Deputy Director of the Publishing Department of the Publicity Department of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, renowned opera performer and inheritor of the Qi school, Chen Shaoyun, Li Peihong, Dean of the School of Chinese Opera at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and inheritor of the Cheng school, Wu Haiyan, Professor and Ph.D. advisor at the China Academy of Art, Gao Chunming, renowned costume and cultural historian and President of the Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association, and Fei Yong, scholar of opera studies, among others. The president of the China Arts and Crafts Society’s Brocade Committee and Director of the Nanjing Yun Brocade Museum, Jian Mingwei, also sent congratulatory messages and videos. Experts from various fields reviewed the book’s content and unanimously praised its value and significance.

The book *Research on the Design of Element Codes for Chinese Opera Costume Patterns* is published by Donghua University Press. It investigates the historical development of Chinese opera costume patterns, explores the constituent elements of these patterns, and transforms them into digital data using computer algorithms. It creatively applies these transformations to modern design. The book is 1.3 million words long, divided into thirteen chapters, and presents its content through text, charts, diagrams, and illustrations. The research covers Chinese opera costumes and patterns from the "Twelve Chapters" on the ceremonial robes of imperial officials 4,000 years ago, to the costumes and patterns of the four major roles (Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Chou) and nearly 20 sub-categories of opera roles. It is the first to explore the color composition of Chinese traditional colors in opera costumes and patterns, creating a color spectrum and genealogy of traditional Chinese opera costume patterns. The book analyzes more than 30 types of opera costume patterns and provides hundreds of contemporary design examples based on traditional Chinese opera patterns. Additionally, it establishes a model hierarchy for pattern classification and creates a digital atlas of traditional Chinese opera costume patterns.

The author, Yang Qingqing, is a professor at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, dedicated to the transformation of traditional Chinese culture and contemporary art design, as well as the integration of art and technology. She has led several national and provincial projects in these areas. Yang is the first to propose the concept and methodology of "Transmedia," and she has taught Transmedia Art Design courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels, becoming one of the earliest advocates and practitioners of "Transmedia Art" globally. In the book, she uses practical case studies of Transmedia Art to analyze how to upgrade patterns from individual, figurative representations to quantitative, categorized, and logical forms using the latest computer technologies. She has developed a scientific system for digital analysis and redesign. The book also introduces the use of advanced technologies such as AR, VR, XR, MR, digital generation, and artificial intelligence for pattern creation and innovative display.

The book has been highly recommended by the renowned dramatist and educator, Professor Ye Changhai, who praised it as "a pioneering work in the field of research on traditional Chinese art, with both documentary and academic value; it also serves as a useful reference for professionals." Famous opera performer Chen Shaoyun, who attended the event, also expressed high admiration for the book, particularly for its research on the element codes of traditional patterns and their transformation into contemporary designs, as well as the use of artificial intelligence in design. He described the book as "beneficial to contemporary society, with lasting impact."  

Professor Wu Haiyan from the China Academy of Art commented that the book provides an excellent paradigm for young people, especially in the context of the internet era, demonstrating how digital techniques can reinterpret traditional costume patterns, invigorating and transforming traditional culture through design. Gao Chunming, President of the Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association, stated that the book has systematically organized and restored scattered traditional opera costume patterns from the folk domain, using modern science and technology to restore them, and then extending their application. He believes that this approach both preserves and promotes traditional culture.  

Professor Li Peihong, Dean of the School of Chinese Opera at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and a leading figure of the Cheng school of opera, emphasized that Yang Qingqing's work demonstrates a fusion and transformation of contemporary fashion with outstanding traditional culture. He believes the book is groundbreaking, innovative, systematic, practical, interdisciplinary, and will have a profound impact on the study of Chinese traditional arts.  

Jian Mingwei, Chairman of the Brocade Committee of the China Arts and Crafts Society and Director of the Nanjing Yun Brocade Museum, noted that the book provides a comprehensive analysis of the structure of traditional patterns and their color theories, helping to identify successful structures from the randomness of aesthetic forms. This is especially valuable for our current efforts in both preserving tradition and innovating, particularly in the creation of cultural products.  

The book has been awarded the Overall Design Award at the 2024 Shanghai Book Art Design Exhibition. Professor Yang Qingqing plans to hold exhibitions in Europe and the United States based on the book's content, bringing China’s outstanding traditional culture to the world and showcasing the beauty of Chinese national treasures.