Citation: Sun, Yikang, I-Wen Wu, and Rungtai Lin. 2022. Transforming “Ritual Cultural Features” into “Modern Product Forms”: A Case Study of Ancient Chinese Ritual Vessels. Religions 13: 517. https://doi.org/10.3390/ rel13060517 Academic Editor: Cynthia Hogan Received: 6 May 2022 Accepted: 3 June 2022 Published: 6 June 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). religions Article Transforming “Ritual Cultural Features” into “Modern Product Forms”: A Case Study of Ancient Chinese Ritual Vessels Yikang Sun 1 , I-Wen Wu 2 and Rungtai Lin 2, * 1 College of Art & Design, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; sunyikang120110@hotmail.com 2 Graduate School of Creative Industry Design, National Taiwan University of Arts, New Taipei City 22058, Taiwan; 10635904@mail.ntua.edu.tw * Correspondence: rtlin@mail.ntua.edu.tw Abstract: Antique relics represent a part of the rich history and cultural heritage of a nation, region, or country, and serve as great inspiration for the creation of unique cultural and artistic products. This article explores the meaning of the transition from “ritual cultural features” to “modern product forms”. By elucidating the rituals (connotation) and forms (denotation) of these cultural characteris- tics, this article attempts to illustrate how to transform these characteristics into modern products that are tailored to meet the needs of contemporary consumer markets. The specific objects chosen for this study are the “ritual vessels” used in various ceremonial activities in ancient China. Specifically, this study discusses the form of the “ritual vessels”, the meaning of their cultural significance, and their use scenarios. Lastly, this article introduces a cultural product design model based on the relationship between “form” and “ritual”, which seeks to offer a valuable reference for designers of cultural and creative products in the design of modern products that adhere to the continuation of cultural attributes. Moreover, we hope this article will also serve as an inspiration for how designers can use their creative thinking to discover traditional cultures’ advantages. Keywords: form and ritual; Chinese ritual vessels; cultural creative product; cultural heritage and sustainability 1. Introduction Aesthetics have flourished in recent years with an understanding of economics. Thus, the focus of this discussion is how culture can enhance “design creativity”, thus transform- ing it into design industry, which is an application of the concept of aesthetics economics. The relationship between culture and industry is increasing in the knowledge economy. Due to the added value provided by culture, culture is recognized as an industry that must be financed, and products may also be thought of as industries. Cultural value addition is the key to creating value for the industry. For culture, the industry is the force for cultural growth (Lin and Lin 2009). With the emergence of global markets and local design, the connection between culture and design is becoming more apparent. Each creative worker should consider how to accentuate the local cultural characteristics of products on the global market. As far as design is concerned, cultural value-adding is at the core of its value. Likewise, design is the driving force behind cultural development, where it propels cultural advancement. When discussing creativity and culture, it is important to draw inspiration from a culture’s long history. Historically, there are a great number of items of interest, including those that are hidden in museums. In addition to providing insights into the way of life of the past, antiques also provide a window into the culture, art, and aesthetics of that era. In other words, they embody the culture, craftsmanship, and etiquette of their time. When the written narrative system has not yet evolved, antique relics serve as reminders of a country’s rich culture and long history. They represent great inspiration for generating unique cultural and creative products. Religions 2022, 13, 517. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13060517 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions