Due Diligence

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This design was created for those who have a dream. And will work relentlessly and tirelessly to achieve it!

磨練 (Pīnyīn: Mó liàn)
Rough translation: “ Self-discipline / To hone your craft / To train with persistence.”

學勤勞需要三年, 學懶惰只要三天
(Pīnyīn: Xué qínláo xūyào sān nián, Xué lǎnduò zhǐyào sān tiān)

Rough translation: “It takes at least three years to learn how to be diligent. It only takes three days to learn how to be lazy.”

What do Chinese calligraphy, martial arts and classical piano have in common?

They’re artistic activities that require an ENORMOUS amount of 磨練 (Mó liàn) in order to achieve an ACCEPTABLE level of proficiency. In a few words, this term could be described as “a combination of patience, discipline and persistence”.

It is no secret that Asian children are introduced to one or more of these artistic expressions at a very early age. And there lies an “apparent” contradiction. 

Those of you who are familiar with Asian culture (especially Chinese culture) know: it’s incredibly rare for Asian parents to encourage their kids to pursue a career in the arts. Truth is, as stereotypical as this may sound, Engineering, Law and Medicine have always been (and continue to be) the top three career choices in Asian families. Well, if that’s the case, if pursuing an artistic career is generally off the table, then why do Asian parents demand that their kids commit themselves to the arts with SO MUCH dedication?

Because they teach us the value of diligence.  

Spending endless hours practicing piano scales. Sustaining countless injuries and bruises on the mat. Writing the same character over and over and over again. Really? I get tired just thinking about it. No one deserves that! ;o) We’ll be the first to admit: it’s easy to get super lackadaisical in these situations. But it is in THIS exact moment that we need to be diligent. Because this is when two options present themselves to us: either we choose to remain inert, or we choose progression.

This design is dedicated to those who pick option number two: the one that nurtures our talent.
Sharpens our gifts.
And strengthens our character.

Words of Wisdom

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As we’ve seen last week, in the post we published about C.P Wang’s design for the iconic Taipei 101 building, concepts create value by giving things a meaning.

Our second T-Shirt collection – which explores the concept of Words of Wisdom – was inspired by Chinese proverbs, also known as 成語 (Pīnyīn: chéngyǔ). However, if you’re not Chinese and/or didn’t grow up in an Asian household, my guess is that these designs won’t mean much to you.

Which is why in the next six posts, we’ll break every single one of these designs down for you. We’ll talk about what each proverb means and explain our reasoning behind why we decided to pair each these proverbs with a specific illustration.

Hopefully, by the time we’re done, this collection will have a completely different meaning to you: one that speaks to your human nature and/or your cultural context.

If that happens, we’ll know we succeeded. We’ll know our concept worked. And you’ll come to understand that this concept was never meant to be a fashion statement, but rather, to help people use fashion to make a very particular statement: life can be simple, if we decide to make it so. ;o)

Just a little side note: this collection was created in honor of my mother, who happens to be the wisest person I know. Thanks to her words of wisdom (some of which take part in this collection), my sisters and I were given the chance to learn about the value of perseverance, the need to be brave, the importance of letting go and the power of a kind and loving heart.

Thanks mom. You rock.

Standing Tall

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I’ll be the first to admit it: I don’t know much. About…well, anything, really.

But as the son of Taiwanese immigrants, from sheer experience, I do know this: few cultures (if any) are as obsessed with symbolism as Chinese culture is. What I mean by that is that, for us, everything has a reason-why.

And when I say everything, I mean EVE-RY-THING. ;o)

Just for fun, let’s take a look at a few examples, shall we: 

  1. There’s a reason why China and Asia go through a baby boom every “year of the dragon”: it’s because dragons represent virtue, honor and nobility; qualities that Asian parents hope their kids will have and display growing up.

  2. Here’s the reason why Chinese brides might wear a white dress during the wedding ceremony, but will unequivocally change into a red 旗袍 (Qí Páo) afterwards: it’s because red symbolizes luck, happiness and joy.

  3. Finally, this is the reason why the Beijing Olympic Games started at exactly 08:00 pm on 08/08/2008: it’s because eight (Bā in Chinese) has the similar pronunciation with 发 (Fā), meaning wealth or fortune.

See? From animals to colors to numbers, everything has a reason-why in Chinese culture.
Same with concepts: when we create them, THERE’S ALWAYS A REASON-WHY.

And very few have combined Chinese symbolism and concepts as exquisitely as Taiwanese architect 王重平 (Wang Chung-ping, a.k.a C.P. Wang), who found inspiration in Chinese culture to conceptualize one of the most impressive marvels of the architectural world: Taipei 101.

 
 

Taipei 101, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, was conceived to be the first building in the world to break the half-kilometer mark in height.

Most importantly, it had to be able to withstand the ruthless typhoons and powerful earthquakes that hit Taiwan from time to time. To tackle that challenge, Wang went to Mother Nature for advice. And her answer came in the form of a plant endemic to China: bamboo.

Bamboo is known for reaching incredible heights (some species grow up to be 100 ft. tall!), thanks to a super complex combination of strength and flexibility. It grows in hollow jointed sections, like a series of solid ended tubes, and these sections are separated by partitions that help reinforce the stem1.

This is where Wang’s concept shows its structural significance: inspired by this ingenious solution, Wang designed steel trusses to connect across the columns at every eight floor of the building1. The end result is that Taipei 101 not only looks like a gigantic bamboo stalk. It behaves like one too, bending a little bit here and there, but never, ever breaking.

 
 

Now, here’s the other reason why Wang chose to design Taipei 101 in the shape of bamboo: “it’s a very important plant in our culture. It represents a noble and gentle person”, he said in a 2013 interview1. In other words, Wang’s concept also carries a lot of cultural significance.

Every inch of its 1,671 ft. tall structure was conceptually designed to represent an aspect of the Chinese culture.

The building is divided into eight sections of eight floors each (yes, the good ol' number eight). These sections purposely resemble ancient Chinese ingots (a symbol of abundance). The name 101 represents the idea of renewal (the “complete” number of 100 + 1). The tower was conceived to look like a Pagoda (representing a connection between Heaven and Earth). And dragons protect all four corners of the building (OF COURSE there would be dragons, what were you thinking!? ... ;o)

 
“It’s rewarding to CONCEPTUALIZE a design that serves not only the client but also represents the culture and serves the needs of a building’s inhabitants.”
— C.P. Wang - Washington University in St. Louis Magazine
 

He’s right. It is rewarding. Super rewarding.

After all, the reason why we create concepts is often twofold:

1)     To create value by giving things a meaning: one that speaks to our human nature and/or our cultural context.
2)     To help things perform better than they did before. And sometimes, in ways that have never even been considered before.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, I don’t know much. But I do know this: Wang’s design – as with all great concepts – succeeded at both.

Of that, I am 101 % sure. ;o))