Ecological Outlook in Chinese Classical Design: From “Union of Heaven and Man” to “Following Natural Rules of Heaven”

Originating from human thinking on the relation between man and nature, the ecological design outlook is a new concept that arose in recent years with great significance for the sustainable development of design. In fact, the same concept has always been running through Chinese classical design notions. From the ages when the principle that “in compliance with the rules under heaven, things are created for human use” dominated design notions, to the rise and prevalence of the later principle of “following natural rules of heaven”, ancient Chinese had always dealt prudently with the relations among human, nature and zao wu (creation), which benefits the contemporary ecological design.