In Chinese culture, Jade, as most people know, is a traditional material with a positive connotation, which is normally designed in simple bracelet shapes or engraved with antique religious motifs. However, these traditional designs are not particularly popular within the younger generation, as they consider them ‘old-fashioned’ and incompatible with the youthful vibe of younger generations. But I believe the potential of this beautiful material is yet to be discovered and developed in a contemporary approach. Through research, I observed that instead of being averse to tradition, young people are discovering their own ways to embody and represent these values. Because of this, I plan to use jade as the symbol of tradition, combining and contrasting with contemporary attitudes of younger generations to create designs that represent the values of modern Chinese youth.
During the development of the project, I realised that new ideas should not mean abandoning traditional meaning, as potent new ideas are often derived from traditional elements. Therefore, with the inspiration from language and expressions, I decided to use the ox as a symbolic element to begin developing. The ox had been an expression of hard work and honesty in Chinese traditional culture; however, across the generations, ‘niu’ mutated into an expression meaning ‘awesome’ and had the connotation of being boastful. Nevertheless, these changes in meaning cannot be separated from its traditional meaning, and this inspired me to use the ox as a symbol to show the change in mindset in young people and combination of its elements with jade to represent the collision of ideas.
Each element of the design represents different understandings of youth culture. For example, in farming, the nose ring is a device that controls how the ox works in the field: in this collection, it is a representation of how we are in a better position to control ourselves and make decisions independently. ‘Expression’ utilises the shape of the ox horn and plays the role of encouraging wearers to express their own feelings and personalities more explicitly. ‘Reminder’ is inspired by the legend that if one puts the tear of an ox into one’s eyes, one can see others’ souls. Therefore, this jewellery piece is intended to remind us of how other people may affect us in multiple ways. The internet is virtual, and we will never let the values revealed on it affect who we are, as being ourselves is the most important. The cowherd puts a bell on their cows to prevent them from getting hurt and as an amulet to grow healthily; for humans, we also use necklaces as our amulets. When we are lost or facing danger, the necklace gives us courage and seems to tell us that there is always someone looking out for us. ‘Amulet’ is inspired by this idea, and by the shape of ox bells. When the bell rings, the wearers will always feel the existence of someone they love, and the necklace will act as their amulet.
I believe that we are never too old or too young to have a jade piece, as it gives wisdom to the old while providing calm to young people. ‘Take it, treasure it, and become part of its history.’
