Chinese New Year: mythology, visual patterns, and food symbolism

Section role: supports the 'Symbolism and the Architecture of Identity' section while the teacher formalizes student findings from the investigation phase into structured theory. Slides: (1) Title — 'The Architecture of Celebration'; (2) The Legend of Nian — visual of the mythical beast and how red and loud sounds ward it off; (3) Colors of Meaning — side-by-side breakdown of Red (fire, luck) and Gold (earth, prosperity); (4) Traditional Patterns — high-quality images of the Eternal Knot, auspicious clouds, and peonies symbolizing longevity and status; (5) New Year Foods — specific focus on whole fish representing abundance (surplus every year) and dumplings representing wealth; (6) Vocabulary in Action — definitions and applications of Prosperity, Filial Piety, and Ward; (7) Closing slide — 'How will you combine two colors and one pattern in your design lab artifact?' — sets up the design project in the next section.