A：Chinese people seem to like the red and yellow colors a lot. The two colors are used for the Chinese national flag. They are also the predominant colors for the cover design of some important books, as well as in the decorations for major events, such as the flower display in Tian’anmen Square during the National Day holidays.

B：The color preferences of the Chinese people are influenced by the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth, in addition to geographical locations and weather. China is a huge and geographically diversified country. It is cold in the north so people there like warm colors. But it is just the opposite in the south. Of all the warm colors, the Han people like yellow especially.

A：Maybe because the Hans originated in the Yellow River Plateau, a region where yellow was the prevailing color.

B：You are probably right. As far as the five elements are concerned, the corresponding colors are white, green, black, red, and yellow. Yellow is the predominant color and is situated in the center of the diagram. Yellow was also the color representing the imperial court in traditional China. It was established as the authoritative color representing the Emperor during the Han Dynasty more than 2000 years ago. During the Sui Dynasty, yellow was officially designated as the exclusive color for the imperial family. It was used in the Emperor’s clothes, the paper on which the Emperor published his decrees, and the calendar that was printed by the Imperial Court.

A：People have a tradition of making a “longevity outfit” for the deceased. The inner side of the outfit is always yellow. The bottom of the coffin is also lined with yellow silk.

B：During the 1980s and 1990s, taxis in Beijing were all painted yellow. Those taxis were very popular because of space and low fares. However, they were considered inappropriate for Beijing and were replaced with new models. The new taxis use a standard color pattern with yellow at the bottom, which acts as a reminder of Beijing’s Imperial tradition.

A：Nowadays, people always refer to pornography as “yellow literature” and pornographic films as “yellow movies.” That reference can be traced to a newspaper from the 19th century United States, which used to print vulgar paintings in yellow.

B：The word “yellow” in the campaign statement of “Eradicate the yellow and fight against the illegal” refers to pornography. I guess we all need to be very careful with the yellow color since it is used to represent both the Imperial Court and bad taste. In olden times, a person could be beheaded for the misuse of yellow. It can also cause trouble today if a person associates himself with the wrong yellow.