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CHINA has nearly 5,000 years of recorded history. However, the history of Chinese furniture is even longer than that of its writing, which can be traced back to the Hemudu Culture more than 7,000 years ago, and it reached its peak in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, most of the furniture was hand-made using padauk, rosewood, and other high-quality hardwood as raw materials. Thanks to its sophisticated production process, elegant and simple style, graceful sculpting, precise and exquisite mortise-and-tenon structure, and smooth lines, its artistic charm is enduring, and it is still loved by people today.
Perfect Combination of Handwork and Wood
In ancient China, hierarchies were strict, and superiors and inferiors were obvious. People’s daily life, speech and behavior, and various customs and cultures were deeply marked by their feudalism rankings. As an essential part of daily life, Chinese-style furniture has not only been deeply influenced by feudal culture, but also reflects people’s daily life and cultural characteristics.
Chinese classical furniture represenative of the Ming and Qing dynasties used hardwoods such as rosewood and padauk. The common characteristics of these woods are hardness, corrosion-resistant, having distinct textures, and furniture made of them is beautiful and durable. These raw materials are now rare and expensive, and ordinary people often use wood such as pine, elm, and beech, but the quality between the woods differs greatly.
A Beijing-style chair. Its graceful and elegant design reflects rich imperial culture.
Classical furniture is mostly made by hand. Although with the advent of electric tools and the improvement of technology, some simple processes in furniture production can now be completed by machines. However, they cannot completely replace handwork. For example, the smooth hand feeling of the furniture surface requires the worker to use a sharp and wide knife to scrape along the wood surface after the machine has first flattened the wood, and use his hand to feel the change of smoothness through the touch after every scratching. Besides, furniture carving is also inseparable from manual operation. The shapes carved by the machine are neat but the lines are rigid and lacking vitality. Only the manual carvings are more refined and creative, dynamic and full of vitality.
The most exquisite aspect of Chinese classical furniture is the structural part of the furniture – mortise-and-tenon work.
Combining pieces of wood together using nothing more than the wood itself is a traditional carpenter’s craft in ancient China. It refers to the use of concave-convex splicing between two components. The protruding part is called the “tenon,” and the recessed part is called the “mortise.” When combined, fit them perfectly together. This method does not require nails and rarely uses glue, but solely relies on the tenon-and-mortise connection.
The tenon-and-mortise structure is the defining feature of Chinese classical furniture.
Tenon-and-mortise structure is the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese working people and fully embodies the creativity and artistry of humanity. It was first discovered in the stilt wooden structure where the ancestors of the Hemudu site lived more than 7,000 years ago. It was widely used in the Spring and Autumn (770-476 BC) and Warring States (475-221 BC) periods, became mature in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and reached its peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Its greatest advantage is that it allows the wood to avoid damage by nails into the wood, and it is very stable and firm. The tenon-and-mortise technology is a basic skill of all carpenters. Due to the detailed and subtle combination of hardwood furniture, the tenon and mortise technology requires workers to be precise and compact, which can only rely on manual surveying and mapping. Therefore, it requires years to master the technology.
Chinese furniture also implies ancient Chinese philosophies. For example, Daoism emphasizes the equilibrium between yin and yang, while in the tenon-and-mortise connection, tenon is yang and mortise is yin, the two are integrated and complementary. Therefore, the entire device, irrespective of size, does not need a nail or a drop of glue, but it can still be firm for centuries regardless of temperature and climate changes. Confucianism, which emphasizes gentleness and moderation, has also been embodied in traditional Chinese funiture. Therefore, regardless of style or layout, Chinese furniture is mostly symmetrical. The type, shape, and material are the same or similar. With a sense of unity, harmony, and seriousness, it implies balance and stability.
Concise and Smooth Ming-style Furniture
Chinese furniture reached its peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Therefore, traditional Chinese furniture is divided into the Ming-style furniture and the Qing-style furniture. The distinction between the two is mainly based on the style, form, and craftsmanship of the work.
Jiangsu Province, especially the area adjacent to Suzhou, is well-known for the production techniques of Ming-style furniture. Therefore, it is acknowledged that furniture made in Suzhou is representative of the Ming-style furniture, also known as Suzhou-style furniture.
A craftsman busy crafting tenon-and-mortise pieces at a furniture manufacturer in Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province.
The Ming Dynasty was a golden era for the development of Chinese classical furniture. Perfect in shape and elegant in style, Ming-style furniture is unrivaled by those made in other eras. Its structure adopts small-structure splicing. The rationality and diversity of functions are emphasized in the styling. This is necessary to meet the physiological characteristics of human beings, and is rich and elegant, which is a combination of both art and practicality. The Ming-style furniture is dominated by rosewood, and it was changed to padauk during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties due to lack of rosewood. Ming-style furniture consists mostly of tables, chairs, and cabinets, which have no inlays and chasing, with very little carving decorations.
The designers of the Ming-style furniture are mostly refined scholars. Manufactured by excellent woodworking, it is full of cultural ambience. Designers often blend their creative ideas into the design, making it appealing, dignified, and simple. The structure stresses consistency of function and aesthetics, which is consistent with the pursuit of Chinese culture. At first glance, it seems insignificant, but upon further inspection, it shows a unique charm, and every detail is worth appreciating.
A Ming-style rosewood canopy bed.
The most prominent feature is the use of lines. Under the premise of satisfying the structure and function, the streamlined lines form the body. But it is not a single line, because if all are straight lines it appears dull and rigid, and if all are curves, it looks too weak. Therefore, the Ming-style furniture is a combination of lines of different types, and the curves and straight lines are properly matched to achieve both change and unity. Visual effects make people feel a natural elegance and a simple design concept, which is fully consistent with the modern fashion of minimalism.
The style gives full play to the charm of line art, and the use of lines is reflected in the linear change of the outline of various parts. For example, the backrest board of a chair mostly adopts an S-shaped curve, which fits the natural curve of the human body, and conforms to ergonomics. It is an extremely scientific curve. In general, the lines are the bones of the Ming-style furniture. The smooth and beautiful lines are just like the proportions of human skeletons. With a good foundation and appropriate modification, the beauty can last forever.
In 2006, the manufacturing techniques of the Ming-style furniture were included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.
Guangzhou-style Furniture
In the mid-Qing Dynasty, with further consolidation and strengthening of the Qing regime, the trend of the Manchu-Han confederation clearly manifested in the culture. The furniture art also continued to develop based on the highly successful achievements of the Ming dynasty. On the one hand, it innovated according to the interests of the ruling class. On the one other hand, Western missionaries came to China in large numbers to strengthen the exchange of Eastern and Western cultures. As such, many Western elements were integrated into Chinese furniture, so that the furniture system was integrated with certain Western elements and greatly enriched the form and function of Chinese furniture.
Guangzhou-style furniture pays attention to detail and decoration.
Guangzhou became an important gateway to China’s foreign trade and cultural exchanges due to its specific geographical location. The architectures of some local commercial institutions began to imitate Western styles and formed an unprecedented “Western fever.” The furniture that adapted to the buildings gradually formed a new style that is now in popular demand. As a result, the “Guangzhou-style” furniture which features big and heavy body and sophisticated carvings have become popular. A wide range of furniture manufacturing styles focus on complicated sculptural decoration. In addition to a large area of carving, different materials are inlaid, such as jade, marble, ceramics, and jewelry, of which the most prominent are marbles and shells.
Located in southern China, Guangzhou is rich in wood for furniture, which was a production area of traditional high-end furniture during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. After becoming a trading port, the influx of Western culture attracted a lot of Baroque, Rococo, and other painting and architectural styles while taking into account the traditional beauty of design and the arts and crafts of Lingnan area. The furniture production has gradually changed from fresh and simple of the Ming Dynasty to a splendid luxury. In particular, the blazing Lingnan culture merges with the unrestrained Western art style, forming a unique Guangzhou style of furniture. The emergence of this new type of furniture, due to the high quality of materials, superb production processes, and extravagant style of materials, was deeply loved by the nobility. It quickly flourished in the middle and late Qing Dynasty and became one of the typical styles of Qing-style furniture.
Most of the materials used in Guangzhou-style furniture are precious hardwoods, which are characterized by bulky materials and steady modelling; they are lavishly decorated and use all the techniques that can make an aesthetic impact. For example, the main components of the furniture, such as the legs and pillars, no matter how large the bending is, generally do not use splicing methods. Instead, they are made out of one single timber. The entire piece of furniture also uses the same kind of wood, and it is not doped with other wood. In addition, the Guangzhou-style furniture pays attention to decoration. Except the back side of the furniture and the panels of tables and stools, all the other components are carved with sophisticated patterns. Although it is hand-carved and polished, it is finely ground, leaving the surface of the pattern glossy, without any signs of cutting. In the decorative theme and ornamentation, influenced by Western culture and arts, it is obvious that there are many Western patterns.
An exquisite piece of Suzhou-style furniture.
Its core values are embodied in the creativity of adapting foreign things for Chinese use and, making the past serve the present, and the courage to break through. This spirit of creativity and innovation is in line with the spirit of pioneering and enterprising of the Lingnan culture.
In 2008, Guangzhou-style hardwood furniture production techniques were included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.
Magnificent Beijing-style Furniture
The so-called Beijing-style furniture mainly refers to furniture that was used by the royal court, which were produced in Beijing. The manufacturing skills of this style were born in the imperial city, which is one of the three major schools of classical Chinese furniture.
The Beijing-style furniture was born in the Qing Dynasty. The emperor collected things from the world for his own use, and recruited skilled craftsmen from Suzhou and Guangzhou to enter the Imperial Workshop, a special agency for the manufacture of royal products. For the aristocracy of the Qing Dynasty, their aesthetic trend was broad-minded and noble. In order to meet the aesthetic taste of the rulers, the living environment of the imperial palaces and inner court, the furniture must have a grand style and posture. Thanks to sufficient financial resources, material resources, and manpower, a fine style of Beijing-style furniture was thus established, featuring magnificent, solemn, and graceful aristocratic temperament. This aesthetic effect not only retains the beauty of Suzhou-style furniture lines, but also draws on the gorgeous features of Guangzhou-style furniture. In addition, the literati and even the emperors personally participated in the design, gradually forming a graceful, elegant, and luxurious style that reflects the rich palace culture.
Beijing-style furniture also uses padauk, rosewood, and other precious hardwood materials. Before making a piece of furniture, the Imperial Workshop made a sample presentation, which could be produced after the approval of the emperor. Therefore, one of the characteristics of the Beijing-style furniture is the “royal style.” At the mid-Qing period coincides with prosperity, both the royal court and the high-ranking officials were in the pursuit of luxury in all aspects of life. The furniture specifications were more extravagent than the Ming style, the material also was bold, and the carving was more stable, luxurious, and beautiful. The surface of the furniture was decorated with gold, silver, jade, enamel, gold and copper plates, blue and white porcelain plates, and other special decorations, which formed a combination of luxury and craftsmanship.
One decorative characteristic is to integrate the Shang Dynasty’s bronzeware and the Han Dynasty’s stone carving art into the furniture carving decoration. This is the success of the Beijing-style furniture as well as its unique style. The images of Beijing-style dragons, phoenixes, and tigers are completely different from the Suzhou-style and Guangzhou-style decorations. These different forms of classical decoration are quiet, elegant, and antique. The furniture of the Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns preserved in today’s Imperial Palace in Beijing are mostly masterpieces of the Imperial Workshop. It maintains a high degree of coordination with the palace’s architecture, caisson ceilings, window ornaments, and the palace’s magnificent handicrafts. The furniture is in line with their environment.
However, due to excessive pursuit of luxury and decoration, it has reduced the furniture’s practicality. This is the biggest regret of the Beijing-style furniture. The Beijing-style furniture manufacturing technique reached its peak during the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns of the Qing Dynasty, and declined after the late Qing Dynasty. After the founding of the Pepole’s Republic of China in 1949, due to active rescue, protection, and support policies adopted by the government, the Beijing-style furniture production techniques have been restored and developed to a certain degree. While inheriting and retaining the charm and decoration of traditional Beijing-style furniture, it has reverted to practical use as its core development aspect. Nowadays, modern Beijing-style furniture has become an undisputed boutique.
In 2008, Beijing-style hardwood furniture production techniques were added to the national intangible cultural heritage list.
(Compiled by China Today)
The forms of Chinese furniture evolved along three distinct lineages which date back to 1000 BC:[1] frame and panel, yoke and rack (based on post-and-rail seen in architecture) and bamboo construction techniques. Chinese home furniture evolved independently of Western furniture into many similar forms, including chairs, tables, stools, cupboards, cabinets, beds and sofas. Until about the 10th century CE, the Chinese sat on mats or low platforms using low tables, but then gradually moved to using high tables with chairs.[2]
Chinese furniture is mostly in plain, polished wood, but from at least the Song dynasty, the most luxurious pieces often used lacquer to cover the whole or parts of the visible areas. All the various sub-techniques of Chinese lacquerware can be found on furniture, and became increasingly affordable down the social scale--thus widely used--from about the Ming dynasty onwards. Carved lacquer furniture was, at first, only affordable by the imperial family or the extremely rich, but by the 19th century, it was merely very expensive, and mostly found in smaller pieces or as decorated areas on larger ones. It was especially popular on screens, which were common in China. Lacquer inlaid with mother of pearl was a technique used especially on furniture.[2]
Chinese furniture is usually light, whenever possible, anticipating Europe by several centuries in this respect. Practical fittings in metal such as hinges, lock plates, drawer handles and protective plates at edges or feet are used and often given considerable emphasis, but compared to classic European fine furniture, purely decorative metal mounts were rare. From the Qing dynasty, furniture made for export, mostly to Europe, became a distinct style, generally made in rather different shapes to suit the destination markets and highly decorated in lacquer and other techniques.[2]
Early traditional Chinese furniture for sitting or lying on was not often covered with soft material. Not until very late historical periods, were cushions, textiles, and other forms of upholstery incorporated into Chinese furniture, impacted by Western culture. Openwork in carved wood or other techniques is very typical for practical purposes such as chair-backs, and also for decoration. The Ming period is regarded as the "golden age" of Chinese furniture, though very few examples of earlier pieces survive. Ming styles have largely set the style for furniture in traditional Chinese style in subsequent periods, though as in other areas of Chinese art, the 18th and 19th centuries saw increasing prosperity used for sometimes excessively elaborated pieces, as wider groups in society were able to imitate court styles.[2]
Cultural context
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What is now considered the Chinese aesthetic had its origins in China as far back as 1500–1000 BC. The furniture present in some of the artwork from that early period shows woven mats on elevated floors, sometimes accompanied by arm rests, providing seating accompanied by low tables. In this early period both unadorned and intricately engraved and painted pieces were already developing.[3] High chairs, usually single ones, had existed as status symbols, effectively thrones, since at least the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BCE), but were not used with tables at the same level.[2]
The use of screens has been recorded since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, which shows that society is in civilization and society is in progress. It plays a role in dividing space and beautifying the environment. It has privacy, comfort and security.
The Han Dynasty still sat on the ground, and indoor life was centered on beds and couch. The function of beds was not only to sleep, but also to have meals, conversations and other activities. A large number of portrait bricks and stones of the Han Dynasty reflected such scenes. The bed is slightly different from the couch. The bed is higher than the couch and wider than the couch. Moreover, in this era, curtains were used, and curtains set on beds also played an important role, indicating that society was in the progress of civilization, avoiding mosquitoes in summer and keeping out the wind and cold in winter. At the same time, they played a role of beautification and were also a sign of identity and wealth.
Buddhism, entering China around AD 200, brought with it the idea of (the Buddha) sitting upon a raised platform instead of simply mats. The platform was adopted as an honorific seat for special guests and dignitaries or officials. Longer versions were then used for reclining as well, which eventually evolved into the bed and daybed. Taller versions evolved into higher tables as well. The folding stool also proliferated similarly, after it was adapted from designs developed by nomadic tribes to the North and West, who used them for both their convenience and light weight in many applications such as mounting horses. Later, woven hourglass-shaped stools evolved; a design still in use today throughout China.
Some of the styles now widely regarded as Chinese began appearing more prominently in the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD). It is here that evidence of early versions of the round and yoke back chairs are found, generally used by the elite. By the next two Dynasties (the Northern and Southern Song) the use of varying types of furniture, including chairs, benches, and stools was common throughout Chinese society. Two particular developments were recessed legs and waisted tables. Newer and more complex designs were generally limited to official and higher class use.
In the Song Dynasty, high furniture for sitting with feet hanging occupied an absolutely dominant position. Sitting with feet hanging has become a fixed posture, and the daily life in Chinese history has been fundamentally changed, which depends on the sitting posture. Furniture in the Song Dynasty shows the characteristics of straightness and beauty in its overall style. Its decoration inherits the style of the Five Dynasties and tends to be simple and elegant. It does not make large-scale carving decoration, but only takes local decorations to make the finishing point.
At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the style of Ming style furniture was continued. Chinese traditional furniture technology developed to the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty, forming a Qing style school different from Ming style furniture. The Qing Dynasty experienced the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, and there was a luxurious and decadent trend of blindly pursuing richness, luxury, and red tape in social culture at that time. There is a strong contrast with Ming style furniture, so it is called "Qing style" furniture in the history of furniture in China. Qing style furniture is made of thick and heavy materials, and its variety and decoration pursue innovation. The decoration of Qing style furniture seeks more, fullness, wealth and splendor. A variety of materials are used together, and a variety of processes are combined.
More modern Chinese furniture developed its distinguishing characteristics. The use of thick lacquer finish and detailed engraving and painted decoration as well as pragmatic design elements would continue to flourish. Significant foreign design influence would not be felt until increased contact with the West began in the 19th century, due to efforts on the part of the ruling elite to limit trade.
In recent decades, there is a trend of re-designing Chinese furniture in a more modern perspective. The exceptional quality and innovation of the furniture associated with what has already become known as ‘New Chinese Design’ will undoubtedly set in motion a significant reappraisal of contemporary Chinese design in general. The first thing to understand about New Chinese Design is that it is foremost a design reform movement. Ideologically guided, it has been responsible for an extraordinary renaissance within Chinese furniture design, the first green shoots of which began to emerge in isolation with the designs of Samuel Chan in Britain during the late 1980s.[4] The process of integrating traditional culture and contemporary style in furniture was initiated by designers such as Zhu Xiaojie, Chi Wing Lo, Chen Renyi, Shan Fan, Shi Jianmin and Song Tao, but many others have since joined the movement, notably Lv Yongzhong, Lydon Neri, Rossana Hum Jiang Qiong’er, Jeff Shi Dayu, Wen Hao, Shen Baohong, Studio MVW, Chen Darui, Zhong Song, Chen Yanfei and Jerry Chen.[4]
During the Ming and Qing dynasties previous bans on imports were lifted, allowing for larger quantities and varieties of woods to flood in from other parts of Asia. The use of denser wood led to much finer work, including more elaborate joinery. A Ming Imperial table entirely covered in carved lacquer, now in London, is one of the finest survivals of the period.
Ming Dynasty furniture
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Chinese furniture flourished in Ming and Qing dynasties; as the result, the Ming-style furniture and the Qing-style furniture become the representative traditional Chinese furniture people often see today.[5] Suzhou, an area in Jiangsu Province, is distinguished by the fine production techniques of Ming-style furniture.[5] Thus, Ming-style furniture is also known as Suzhou-style furniture.
The Wishbone chair by Danish designer Hans Wegner was inspired by Ming-style chairs.[6]
Shape, style and culture
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A wooden jewel case from Indianapolis Museum of ArtMing dynasty furniture is distinguished by its simpleness of shape.[7] It does not focus on the rich and complicated decorative patterns but the elegance of style and the beauty of lines.[5] Ming furniture stresses the smoothness of lines: it looks unobtrusive, blends curves and straight lines, and creates a sense of balance and harmony.[5] This feature is particularly prominent in the Quanyi (圈椅) Circular Chairs, an example of the combination of curves and lines. Moreover, Ming furniture is noted by its ergonomic design. It attaches importance to the rationality of scale and curvature, which makes people feel comfortable while sitting on a hard wooden chair.[8] For example, the backrest of Ming furniture is in the shape of "S" or "C". This special shape conforms to the characteristics of the human spine curve, allowing people to sit on their backs to rest and relieve fatigue.[8] The round crescent armrest of the chair has a natural slope from high to low, allowing people to rest their shoulders and arms on the arc-shaped armrests.[8] Overall, the function and aesthetics of Ming furniture are emphasized by its unique shape and refined structure.
Culture has a deep impact on traditional Chinese throughout history. Taking Ming Dynasty furniture as an example, artistic symbolism reflects the philosophy of ancient Chinese culture. Both the pleasing aesthetics and the symbolic meaning of Ming Dynasty furniture contribute to advocating the Chinese style towards contemporary home furnishing. As a visualization of Confucian philosophy, the form and auspicious decorative patterns of Ming Dynasty furniture symbolize the expression of Neutralization thought, the thought of harmony, the importance of going into the world, which encourages the user to be more practical and more responsible. Altogether, design of Ming Dynasty furniture reflects people’s pursuit of wealth, peace, harmony and rights.[citation needed]
Decoration
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Ming furniture pursues small and refined decoration, which leads to a moderate and artistic decoration concept.[7] The main decoration methods in Ming furniture include inlay, carving, and lacquerware.[9] The materials used in inlay are varied, including enamel, bamboo, animal’s horn or teeth, jade, stone, copper, etc. However, Ming furniture does not aim to have all the luxuries in one piece, it highlights the beauty of wood through the raw materials.[9] Partial or small area relief and openwork have become the main means of decoration for many Ming furniture; swastika, cloud, and Ruyi are the common patterns for this type of decoration.[9] Besides, the application of metal accessories is another major feature of Ming furniture decoration. Copper, as the most commonly used metal in Ming furniture, is usually decorated on the corners, feet, and handles of the furniture.[10] These metal fittings are not only serving for aesthetics but also for enhancing wear resistance at the same time.
Material
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Ming furniture is made of a wide range of materials, including wood, stone, and other auxiliary materials. The choice of wood is usually hardwood, such as huanghuali (黄花梨), red sandalwood, rosewood, chicken-wing wood (鸡翅木), beech, and Cassia siamea.[10] Among those hardwoods, huanghuali was especially popular in the Ming dynasty because of its texture, color, and odor.[10] Among all the stone materials, marble, agate, and Nanyang stone are the common materials for inlay. Rattan, rope, and bamboo are often used as auxiliary materials in Ming furniture as well.
Four categories
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Chinese furniture traditionally consisted of four distinct categories, all formed by the mid Qing dynasty, but each with its own unique characteristics.[11]
Material
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Classic Chinese furniture is typically made of a class of hardwoods, known collectively as "rosewood" (紅木, literally "red wood"). These woods are denser than water, fine grained, and high in oils and resins. These properties make them dimensionally stable, hardwearing, rot and insect resistant, and when new, highly fragrant. The density and toughness of the wood also allows furniture to be built without the use of glue and nail, but rather constructed from joinery and doweling alone. According to the Chinese industry standards the woods are grouped into eight classes:[13][14]
Furniture and carving made from these wood species are typically referred to, in the market, as "Hongmu Furniture" (紅木家具, literally "rosewood furniture"). Due to overlogging for the said furniture, most of the species are either threatened or endangered.
Chinese furniture using precious wood also has property attributes, which is appreciation. This is due to the use of precious hardwood and high labour costs, durability, and it can be passed on to future generations as property. Hardwood like Huali Wood (花梨木) and Suanzhi (酸枝) are the most representative, and the price of the raw material spiked over the past decades. Taking Huali Wood as an example, one of the most famous and expensive precious wood, the price skyrockets due to the scarcity of old trees. The growth cycle of Hualimu tree is extremely long making it unimaginably difficult to become timber—800 years. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, all of Hualimu tree was felled in China. The price of Hualimu is 8-12 million RMB (approximately1.5-2.4 million CAD) per ton in 2004. In 2020, the price increased to 18 million RMB (approximately 3.4 million CAD) per ton and is expected to keep increasing.[17] In China, some manufacturers grasped this opportunity by replicating the traditional design from precious hardwood with the help of machinery making the old design more accessible to certain consumers. There is a niche market for high-end collectors to appreciate traditional Chinese furniture not only for the timeless design but also the opportunity to invest or to show social status.
Construction
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Construction of traditional wooden Chinese furniture is based primarily of solid wood pieces connected solely using woodworking joints, and rarely using glue or metallic nails. The reason was that the nails and glues used did not stand up well to the vastly fluctuating temperatures and humid weather conditions in most of Central and Southeast Asia.[18] Further, the oily and resinous woods used in Chinese furniture generally do not glue well, even when pre-cleaned with modern industrial solvents.
Platform construction is based on box designs and uses frame-and-panel construction in simple form during earlier periods evolving into more and more modified forms in later periods. While earlier pieces show full frame-and-panel construction techniques, different parts of the construction were modified through the centuries to produce diverse looking pieces which still share the same basic construction. First the panel, originally complete, is subject to cut-out sections, followed by further reduction to what may appear to be simply decorative brackets. Further refinement of the same pattern lead the shape of the decorative brackets being incorporated into the shape of the surrounding frame and simultaneously the two mitered vertical pieces comprising a corner become one solid piece. Pieces start to have small cross-pieces attached to the bottom of the feet rather than a frame that is equal on all sides and finally, with evolution of the complex woodworking joints that allow it, the cross-pieces are removed entirely, leaving a modern table with 3-way mitered corners. Unlike European-derived styles, table designs based on this style will nearly always contain a frame-in-panel top, the panel serving as the tabletop center and the frame sometimes also serving as what would be rails on a European table. Cabinets in this style have a top that does not protrude beyond the sides or front. The critical element in almost all pieces of this type is the mitered joints, especially the 3-way mitered joining of the leg and two horizontal pieces at each corner.
Mortise and Tenon Joint, drawn by Jim ThomasThe Yoke and Rack construction differs critically in the way that the legs of the piece are joined to the horizontal portion (be it tabletop, seat or cabinet carcass) using a type of wedged mortise-and-tenon joint where the end grain of the leg is visible as a circle in the frame of the tabletop. The cross-pieces (stretchers in the western equivalent) are joined through mortise-and-tenon joinery as well. Mortise (卯) is a slot or recess. And Tenon (榫) is the projecting end of a piece of wood formed to fit into a corresponding mortise. Mortise-and-tenon joinery is an extremely old construction technique that has stood the test of time and is still being used today. The legs and stretchers are commonly round rather than square or curvilinear. The simplest pieces are simply four splayed legs attached to a solid top, but more complicated pieces contain decorative brackets, drawers and metal latches. Cabinets in this style typically have an overhanging top similar to western-style cabinetry.
Bamboo construction style, although historically rooted in pieces made from bamboo, later saw many pieces made from hardwood with patterning to imitate the look of bamboo, or simply in the style of previous pieces made from bamboo. The construction is more similar to the Yoke and Rack style with some apparent crossover.
Gallery
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Huanghuali wood furniture, China, - Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Chinese style furniture in Bang Pa In Chinese style palace
Qing Furniture
Ming Furniture
Ming Furniture
Chinese furniture armchairs
Qing Red Lacquer Furniture
Landscape with Pavilion Screens by Yuan Jiang and Wang Yun, 1720
Ming Furniture Models from Tomb of Pan Yongcheng
HK Central Government House Open Day interior furniture Horse in art
Chinese traditional chair.
Chinese traditional bed , 19th century
Traditional chairs and tables.
Chinese garden seat, Qing dynasty, mid 19th century, red wood
Chinese clothes rack, Qing dynasty, dated 1823, hongmu wood, Honolulu Academy of Arts
Tea caddy, Chinese - Indianapolis Museum of Art
Pair of Table Screens with Flowers and Birds
Chinese Poems and Calligraphy screen
Late Ming Dynasty table screen
Late Ming Dynasty table screen
Chinese screen with birthday celebration for General Guo Ziyi
Qing Screen Set on a Stand
Qing Screen Set and Chair with Ivory Inlay
See also
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Notes
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References
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