Traditional Chinese culture is built on the premise that the world is composed of five elements: wood, earth, metal, water and fire. Each of these elements has a corresponding colour: Green (wood), yellow (earth), white (metal), black (water) and red (fire).

Red, representing fire that protects people from evil spirits, has always symbolised happiness and good luck, which is why, all auspicious occasions have a surfeit of the colour. Every home will have a red ribbon or lantern at its entrance and weddings see brides dressed in the colour. 

A girl laughs as she sits among hand fans during a mass performance at a children's martial arts fair in Foshan, Guangdong province
A girl laughs as she sits among hand fans during a mass performance at a children's martial arts fair in Foshan, Guangdong province, ChinaReuters

Chinese New Year 2017 marks the start of the Year of the Rooster but, paradoxically, red is considered an unlucky colour for people born in this year.

People take pictures of roosters during a rooster beauty contest ahead of the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year of Rooster, in Shunde, Guangdong province, China
People take pictures of roosters during a rooster beauty contest ahead of the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year of Rooster, in Shunde, Guangdong province, ChinaReuters

Red, however, remains an evergreen favourite as a style statement and has been preferred by fashionistas or by people who wish to look elegant.

Hotel guides walk at a entrance to the BFA Hotel during the Boao Forum for the 2013 Asia annual conference in Boao town, Hainan province
Hotel guides dressed in elegant red ahead of a conference in ChinaReuters

Historically, however, red was reserved for nobility. During the Ming dynasty's reign, red could only be seen on the walls of the emperor's close relatives; everyone else had to make do with blue bricks or tiles on their roofs. Beijing's centrepiece, the Forbidden City, is resplendent even today in red and gold.

Workers paint a red wall of the Forbidden City in central Beijing
Workers paint a red wall of the Forbidden City in central Beijing, ChinaReuters

Red has also been the de facto colour of the Government in China, probably to communicate a sense of joy.

A logo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is seen on a participant's Red Army uniform
A logo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is seen on a participant's Red Army uniformReuters

Even the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympics at Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium saw a gigantic display of red firecrackers.

Fireworks explode over the National Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 8, 2008
Fireworks explode over the National Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 8, 2008Reuters

For brides in China, red is a symbol of happiness and vitality and an essential component of all weddings.

A wedding photographer's assistant yawns on a street in Shanghai, China
A bored wedding photographer's assistant yawns on a street in Shanghai, China, as the couple pose for their wedding albumReuters