Symphony of Silk Road Paintings: Construction of a Teaching System for Sino-Persian Artistic Mutual Learning (13th–16th Centuries)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62381/H261720
Author(s)
Jianghua Qi
Affiliation(s)
School of Design, Xi’an Technological University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
Abstract
This study systematically completes the pedagogical transformation of scattered Sino-Persian artistic interaction cases, integrating them into the regular teaching framework of A History of Design under the Belt and Road Initiative. Centered on the core teaching concept of "cross-cultural design translation", it breaks through superficial stylistic comparison-oriented instruction, and constructs an interconnected five-level teaching model covering material circulation, technological dissemination, pictorial translation, aesthetic fusion, and institutional safeguards. By sorting out long-term relevant academic achievements, this study traces the transformation of core design elements during their transmission from China to Persia, incorporating the thrice-tested, well-received teaching case of the Houghton Shahnameh. It links first-hand historical cases with current design academia discussions, guiding students to recognize that civilizational mutual learning refers to creative transformation rooted in local cultural traditions, rather than direct copying of external achievements. It converts professional art history debates into teachable modules, class activities and practical tasks, fully aligning with the course’s three-dimensional objectives of knowledge transmission, competency cultivation and value formation, and providing historical reference for contemporary cross-cultural design practice under the Belt and Road Initiative context.
Keywords
Teaching of A History of Design Under the Belt and Road Initiative; Cross-Cultural Design Translation; Persian Miniature Painting; Chinese Artistic Elements; Teaching Case Design.
References
[1] Zou Qichang, Sun Wenxin. Outline of the Belt and Road Design Studies System: Concepts, Forms and Values – Series on the Construction of Contemporary Chinese Design Theoretical Systems. Studies in Culture & Art, 2023(6):24-36+112.
[2] Mu Hongyan. Artistic Interactions Between Kucha, Gaochang and Persian Art. Journal of New Silk Road Studies, 2024(1):1-13+217.
[3] Li Tian, Zhou Jing. Translation of Safavid Miniatures on Ming Fine Brush Flower-and-Bird Paintings: Centered on the Bahram Mirza Album. Journal of Art & Design Research, 2023(1):85-93.
[4] Yang Jing. Research on Dragon Motifs in the Ilkhanate Period. Forum of Chinese Culture, 2024(1):134-144.
[5] Zhou Yong, Guo Peizhen. “Veils and Veiled Vision”: Visual Culture and National Grammar in Iranian Cinema (1979–2000). Film Art, 2024(5):153-160.
[6] Zhao Hanhan. Symbiotic Space of Poetry and Painting: Intertextuality of Nizami’s Narrative Poems and Persian Miniatures. Youth Literati, 2026(8):167-169.
[7] Wu Ge. “Black Brush” and Chinese Stylistic Elements in Islamic Miniatures of the Mongol-Turkic Era. Fine Arts, 2025(3):122-131.
[8] Zeng Cheng. Dragon Motifs and Dragon-Slaying Scenes in Persian Miniatures. The Forbidden City, 2024(2):128-137.
[9] Yang Jing. Intermedia Narration: From Houghton Shahnameh Miniatures to Carpets and Silk Fabrics. Silk, 2026, 63(1):96-104.
[10] Pan Sanrou. From Chinese Ink-Wash Landscapes to the Birth of Monochrome Styles: “Ink Brush” in 14th–15th Century Persian Miniatures. Journal of Fine Arts, 2025(6):100-108.
[11] Pan Sanrou. “European Style” in Persian Miniatures: Dissemination and Influence of European Painting in West Asia (16th–17th Centuries). Grand View of Fine Arts, 2024(7):107-114.
[12] Nasrin Dastan. Chinese Pictorial Elements in Iranian Miniatures: Centered on the Jami’ al-Tawarikh. International Sinology, 2020(4):100-107+200.
[13] Hou Shanyu, Hou Deyuan, Gu Zhinong. Interaction and Symbiosis Between Chinese Painting and Persian Miniatures on the Silk Road (13th–16th Centuries). China National Expo, 2025(2):208-210.
[14] Chen Junqian. Research on the Shaping of the Belt and Road Design Perspective. Screen Printing, 2023(13):59-62