- Before this, according to taoists there were only two opposing colours: Black and white, yin and yang.
- With the establishment of the five elements theory the spectrum of colours was enlarged
- This created five main colours: Black, white, red, yellow and green.
- In Chinese beliefs: The cosmos mirror the five elements
- Each colour represents or is associated with a specific meaning
Yellow
- According to the five elements theory the colour yellow belongs to the element of Earth
- It is a stabilising energy and a balanced yin and yang
- The associated grain with this colour is rice which ripens in the yellow each and is food which stabalizes mankind.
- It is the colour of imperial China
Black
- This is Heavens colour, which is a bit odd to us Westerners who associate the idea of heaven with white as the colour for us symbolises peace and innocence
- Heaven is meant to be mysterious, and is there really a more mysterious colour than black?
Red
- This corresponds with the element of fire
- It is the colour of passion or anger
- It symbolises joy and good fortune
- It is strictly forbidden at funerals as red is the colour of happiness in China
Green
- Green symbolises health, prosperity and harmony
- Although green can be associated with infidelity
White
- This corresponds with metal
- It represents purity
- It can be the colour of mourning
How white was used in a symbolic way in the film
I noticed towards the end when the main hero was recounting the true event of what occurred with Broken Sword and Snow the characters were all dressed in white. This figures as this is a sad scene filled with death, suicide and heartbreak, so I presume that it is used to represent the colour of mourning. In this scene Snow struggles to understand broken Swords reasoning for killing the king. because of this misunderstanding she challenged him to a duel and ends up fatally wounding him. It is not long before she takes her own life. As well as this, the hero decides not to assassinate the king and is killed by many arrows. He is dead too. I think the misunderstanding, murder, suicide and death are all aspects being mourned in this scene.
How green was used in a symbolic way
Green was used in a symbolic way during the scene where Broken Sword was confiding in the Hero about his past with Snow. The scene shows many happy times of them loving together in the Calligraphy school and studying the art of swordsmanship and calligraphy together. It contains details of their eventual plan to move away from where they are, to a place where no one fights with swords and they can just be together. It tells how they decide that they must kill the king in order to live peacefully. This part, they are dressed in green, I think to convey the harmony between the characters. There is a moment at the end of the scene when Broken Sword refuses to kill the emperor when Snow turns away from him. It is almost a moment of infidelity as if he is really betraying her trust by not going through with the plan, and he is. So the symbol of infidelity could very much be used in a symbolic way here.
How red is used in a symbolic way
Red in this film is associated with a scene riddled with emotional distress. The Hero is conveying to the king the story of Broken Sword and Snows strained relationship while studying with them at the calligraphy school. In the story one of Broken Swords students has sex with him. Snow catches them. Broken sword says he wanted her to see them leading to Snow being so angry that she kills him. There is a lot of strong emotion and many issues involving passion in this scene. The idea of fire and passion and betrayal is very relevant in this scene as it effects many of the characters and ultimately leads to their downfall.
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