Explore a curated collection of traditional Chinese patterns, offering free, high-resolution downloads of vibrant designs ideal for art projects and cultural appreciation.
Original Published 2019, update 2025
I have a soft spot for traditional Chinese patterns and art. It might be something to do with where I was born and raised. For the first 30 years, I lived in Hong Kong. It was a superb, colourful, and vibrant place to grow up. I now live in Bedford, 50 miles North of London.
Even though I don’t get to visit Hong Kong very often now, there are signs of the influence of Chinese culture on me in my home. I have a few pieces of Chinese art on the wall, and I’m a sucker for colourful textiles in a traditional Chinoiserie pattern.
Ornamental Traditional Chinese Art To Print
When I came across Owen Jones’s fantastic book, “Examples of Chinese Ornament,” I couldn’t wait to share some of the tremendous Chinese art patterns it features.
From the preface of “Examples of Chinese Ornament”:
The late war in China, and the Ti-ping rebellion, by the destruction and sacking of many public buildings, has caused the introduction to Europe of a great number of truly magnificent works of Ornamental Art, of a character which had been rarely seen before that period, and which are remarkable, not only for the perfection and skill shown in the technical processes, but also for the beauty and harmony of the colouring, and general perfection of the ornamentation. In the following Plates I have gathered together as great a variety of these new styles of Ornament as have come within my reach, and I trust that no important phase of this Art has escaped me.
Owen Jones also published another book on patterns and ornaments that covers 19 different cultures and civilizations called “The Grammar Of Ornament”.
The Traditional Chinese Patterns
The traditional Chinese patterns from Owen Jones’s book are mainly based on the collection at the South Kensington Museum. The South Kensington Museum was renamed the Victoria & Albert Museum (The V&A) after Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert.
The V&A is located in South Kensington, London. It is the world’s largest museum of applied and decorative arts and design.
It is one of my favourite museums and a must-visit in London. The collections and exhibitions are amazing, and the building itself is stunning. It’s a beautiful place to have lunch in the museum’s decorative dining room.
A Little More About The Book
The book’s preface refers to the civil war that raged in China between 1850 and 1864. The Taiping Civil War was between the Qing dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
The Second Opium War occurred around this time, and the Qing Dynasty relinquished more land in Hong Kong (the Kowloon Peninsula) to Britain.
So many of these precious traditional Chinese patterned ornaments managed to make their way to Britain during this chaotic time in China. Many of these ended up at the V&A and are documented in this book.
How To Download the Patterns
Click on the title above the Chinese pattern you’d like to download, and a high-resolution image will open in a new tab. From there, you can easily save or print it for your projects. These stunning designs are perfect for artists, crafters, designers, and history lovers looking to add a touch of traditional Chinese elegance to their work!
Red & Green Floral Chinese Pattern Designs 1-8
1. Traditional Chinese Patterns – Green with Red & Yellow Flowers
This is a lovely floral pattern on a teal background. The predominant colours in this traditional Chinese pattern are green and yellow.
2. Double Happiness Ornamental Piece
This square Chinese pattern has a lovely border; the predominant colour is aqua green.
This ornamental piece features the Chinese character for double happiness, painted in gold. The character was a regular feature on Chinese ornaments, and perhaps this was a piece designed for a wedding gift. The double happiness character was commonly used as a decoration symbol of marriage.
3. Multiple Red Flower Pattern Design
4. Floral Border with Characters
This traditional Chinese pattern would make a lovely ornate wallpaper border. It is very traditional Chinese, with the characters printed in circles in the middle of the design.
5. White Chrysanthemums on Red
Chrysanthemums are a popular flower in China; therefore, the flower appears in many Chinese art and patterns.
Their popularity as a design on Chinese ornaments is due to the flower’s symbolic meaning: long life and good luck in the home.
This Chinese pattern’s red and white colours give it a Christmassy feel.
6. Teal Green & Orange Red Pattern
Another lovely Chinese pattern with a border, this time in a teal green colour with an orangey-red background.
Another antique Chinese pattern with traditional elements of Phoenixes and flowers.
I think the pink flowers in this pattern are Peonies.
Blue and White Pattern Designs 9-16
The first thing I imagine about Chinese pottery is the traditional blue and white patterns. That is probably because when I grew up in Hong Kong, my mother used to collect blue and white pottery and have it on display.
Blue and white pottery designs have been famous in China for many centuries. The patterns first became widely used in Chinese porcelain in the 14th century, after the cobalt pigment for the blue began to be imported from Persia.
On my other site, Pillarboxblue, I have a fun craft where I upcycled some old tin cans to look like traditional oriental vases.
This traditional Chinese pattern is taken from a magnificent vase of blue-and-white china. The large flowers are arranged in equilateral triangles over the vase’s surface.
Jones describes this pattern in the book as follows
“This plate is arranged from a blue-and-white china Basin and shows half the circumference of the basin developed. The four pear-shaped masses are very effective. The etched outline flowers on the dark ground are after the Indian manner; so also is the general arrangement of the pedant ornament, except that the scrolls have their terminations so peculiarly Chinese.”
11. Blue & White China Bottle Pattern
This traditional Chinese pattern is from a blue and white bottle.
12. Blue & White China Plate Pattern
This blue and white pattern is part of a pendent ornament on a cistern.
15. Blue and White Border Patterns
A series of borders from various objects are in blue and white china.
From various objects in blue-and-white china.
Colourful Oriental Patterns 17-22
From a large Jar in cloisonne enamel.
This dish, made from cloisonne enamel, is essentially Chinese. Four bats with outspread wings, connected at their extremities, make up the composition, which is centred by a kind of labyrinth.
This very yellow Chinese pattern is from a vase.
The red background on this Chinese pattern is a prevalent colour for Chinese dinnerware.
I’m sure the bowls in my local Chinese restaurant have this pattern. Or something very similar.
Traditional Chinese patterns featuring butterflies and flowers.
More Floral Chinese Patterns 23-33
From an exquisite painted china Vase. The red flowers are spread all over the vase, in as near as may be equilateral triangles, and they are all united by the continuous stem, which winds spirally around the vase.
25. Pink Flowers on a Green Background
26. Various Compositions Green
Various compositions on the fragmentary principle. The upper pattern on the left is from cloisonne enamel, and the other is painted china.
Pattern from a Chinese snuff bottle.
30. Pink & Orange Flowers on Green
From a painted china Bottle. A composition in the fragmentary style.
33. Green and Pink Motif Pattern
Conclusion & Other Pattern Collections
Isn’t it amazing how these patterns, created centuries ago, still look so stylish today? Owen Jones knew how to capture the beauty of traditional Chinese design, and now you can bring a bit of that history into your projects. Whether you’re using these prints for crafting, decorating, or just because you love vintage art, they’re free to download and enjoy.
More Chinese patterns can be found with Albert Racinet Polychrome ornaments. And many more printable art and design prints here.
You’ll find a few more traditional Chinese patterns here with this collection of dragon pictures.
If you like traditional Chinese patterns, you will probably love these old Japanese art prints from Shin-Bijutsukai magazine and these traditional Japanese patterns. Or the beautiful interior floral patterns of William Morris. There are also other fabulous collections of vintage images on Picture Box Blue.
- Art Nouveau Flower Prints
- Vintage floral textile patterns
- Vintage Flower Pictures
- Ernst Haeckel Prints
I’ve also used the lovely Chinese patterns to decoupage some scallop shells for a beautiful shell dish homemade gift. They have also been used to make cute tea light jars or hanging paper lanterns for the Chinese New Year.
If you fancy, you can Buy Me A Coffee Here.
Mary
Monday 29th of January 2024
The Traditional Chinese patterns are absolutely beautiful.... Thank you.....
claire
Tuesday 30th of January 2024
Thank you, lovely to hear you are enjoying them.
Mr TK Tan
Tuesday 11th of July 2023
Great Design
claire
Tuesday 11th of July 2023
Thank you so much.
HgN
Sunday 1st of January 2023
Gorgeous
claire
Tuesday 10th of January 2023
Thank you.
Jacki
Friday 7th of October 2022
Thank you so much - these designs are gorgeous! I can't wait to use them in my junk journals!
claire
Friday 7th of October 2022
Thank you, have you checkout the Japanese prints as well? I think they would be good for journalling too.
Liv
Monday 15th of November 2021
Thank you for sharing these patterns! I particularly enjoyed the cultural tidbits on the significance of certain symbols. I am very curious about other factors that might have influenced or inspired some of the traditional Chinese designs such as the availability of materials, geography, etc.
claire
Tuesday 16th of November 2021
Thank you, so much. Yes there are probably many other factors that influenced Chinese designs.