The colours of a nation’s palette(国色: guósè) don’t just paint pictures; they tell tales. They weave stories of empires, hint at spiritual beliefs, and offer glimpses into the lives of the people from bygone eras.
The Chinese palette, with its rich history and multifaceted cultural significance, offers a journey through time and aesthetics.
To truly grasp the nuances of Chinese palettes, it's essential to first delve into the significance of their foundational colours.
1. Red (红, hóng)
One of the most auspicious and prevalent colors in Chinese culture, red symbolises happiness, prosperity, and good luck. It's widely used in festivals like Chinese New Year and in joyous occasions like wedding.
2. Gold or Yellow (金, jīn or 黄, huáng):
Representing wealth, power, and royalty, it was the imperial color in ancient China, mainly reserved for the Emperor. In Daoism, yellow is also significant as it is associated with health and balance. 
3. Green (绿, lǜ):
Generally symbolises harmony, growth, and vitality. It's often related to health and prosperity. 
4. Blue (蓝, lán):
Represents immortality and advancement. In some contexts, it can also mean healing and hope.
5. Black (黑, hēi):
Unlike many Western interpretations of black as mourning, in traditional Chinese culture, black can represent water, winter, and the north. It's also seen as a color of strength and power. 
6. White (白, bái):
While in many cultures white is a symbol of purity, in traditional Chinese culture, it's often associated with death and is used in funerals. It represents metal and autumn. 
7. Jade (玉, yù):
While not a color per se, the unique green and sometimes whitish hue of jade has special significance in Chinese culture. Jade is considered the stone of heaven and is symbolic of purity, grace, and beauty.
8. Purple (紫, zǐ):
Traditionally associated with divinity and immortality. Purple is also a color representing nobility and high rank. 
Traditional Chinese paintings, artefacts, and architectural sites exhibit a distinct palette rooted in the country's rich cultural and artistic heritage. Here are some examples:
Dunhuang Palette
The Mogao Caves, also known as the Dunhuang Caves, are a series of Buddhist cave temples in Gansu Province. The murals inside these caves showcase a vivid color palette, with predominant colours like azure, vermillion, gold, and emerald reflecting religious themes and everyday life during various dynasties.
Blue and White Porcelain Palette
This is perhaps one of the most iconic colour combinations in Chinese ceramics, especially from the Ming Dynasty. Cobalt blue under a transparent glaze creates intricate designs of dragons, flora, landscapes, and other themes on porcelain.
Forbidden City Palette
As mentioned earlier, the Forbidden City, the imperial residence for Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors, prominently displays colors such as imperial yellow (signifying the Emperor himself), a rich red (indicating good fortune and happiness), and gold accents symbolising wealth and prosperity.
Literati Painting Palette
Traditional Chinese scholarly paintings, or "wenrenhua," often favoured a more muted and restrained palette to match the introspective and poetic themes. These colours often include various shades of ink, from the lightest grays to the deepest blacks, with occasional muted greens, browns, and blues.
Yuan Dynasty Underglaze Red Palette
The Yuan dynasty saw the innovation of using copper red under a clear glaze, which produced a brilliant ruby red. This was a technical challenge in the kilns and resulted in many artifacts showcasing this striking color.
Tang Sancai Palette
"Sancai" translates to "three colors," and it's a type of pottery from the Tang Dynasty that primarily used three colors: cream, green, and amber/brown. Some pieces also showcased blue from imported cobalt.
For art enthusiasts keen on exploring the traditional Chinese palette, this resource offers an extensive array of 526 colours. These hues are sourced from the "色谱 Color Name Dictionary", a publication from the Chinese Academy of Science in 1957.
Let these colours inspire your creations. Accessible for free, you can download the color profile cards or visit the color page for deeper insights. Dive in: https://color-term.com/traditional-color-of-china/."