by Andy Lao
As an art form that has been developed for over 4,000 years, Chinese furniture is highly praised for its elegant style, beautiful shapes, and practical functions. Its unique charm has won the hearts and minds of not only Chinese themselves, but also overseas visitors to China. People are often immediately fascinated by its aesthetic aspects and later realize the profound cultural values that furniture carries. It’s a good idea to shop for some beautiful Chinese furniture items when you are in Beijing.
Archaeological evidence shows the earliest Chinese furniture was probably made during the Neolithic period. But it wasn’t until the Tang dynasty that Chinese started to make furniture in the classic style that is so well known nowadays. This style of furniture continued to develop through later periods, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was perfected and became a famous decorative art form.
Divided by dynasties, the history of the development of Chinese furniture consists of three periods: pre-Tang period, the Tang and Song dynasty period, and the Ming and Qing dynasty period.
Pre-Tang Period: Chinese people who lived before the Tang dynasty preferred to sit on a woven mat with short, simple furniture items organized around it. This practice is much like the Japanese tradition of sitting on a “tatami.” Though simplicity was the norm for most ordinary people, the rich could afford furniture adorned with lavish decorations.
Tang and Song Dynasty Period: During the Tang dynasty, upper-class Chinese began to use the classic-style Chinese furniture. Paintings from that period show people sitting on high chairs instead of mats. This change is believed to be influenced by Buddhism and the lifestyle of the nomadic tribes living in northern China. In the Song dynasty, both ordinary people and social elites accepted this change and started to use this new style of furniture in their homes.
Ming and Qing Dynasty Period: During this time, the Chinese furniture industry reached its peak and achieved an unprecedented level of beauty and sophistication, thanks to the advancements both in the decorative patterns and furniture-making techniques. A huge variety of new items was invented.
Furniture items made in these two dynasties were similar in basic style and construction but had a major difference in design and decoration. Ming dynasty furniture was considered to be more elegant, have a pure form, and generally conform to the scholars’ standard of taste. Qing dynasty furniture, on the other hand, was ostentatious in decoration, and focused on grandiose designs. It came to be the epitome of lavish beauty. In Chinese markets nowadays, most antique furniture items are from these two dynasties.
Chinese furniture is valued both for its material and craftsmanship. Judging these two qualities of Chinese furniture can take years of practice and study.
Chinese furniture is usually made of wood. Depending on the quality and rarity of the wood, the price of a piece of furniture can go from a few hundred to millions of dollars. Furniture dealers in China rank the quality of different types of wood in this way: “One yellow, two black, three red, and four white.”
“One yellow” means Huanghuali wood, or Yellow Pear wood. It is the most rare, most precious wood used to make Chinese furniture.
“Two black” refers to Zitan wood, or Purple Incense wood, the second most sought-after wood in China.
“Three red” means redwood, the most popular wood among Chinese furniture lovers. There are four major types of redwood: old redwood, Chicken’s Wing wood, Tieli wood, and Huali wood.
“Four white” refers to several types of white wood that includes Nanmu wood, beech tree wood, camphorwood, and pine.
The craftsmanship also determines the value of a piece of Chinese furniture. A trained expert with a sharp eye can see not only the technical skill of the artisan who made it, but also how well he integrated the profound concepts of Chinese culture into his work. An ordinary artisan with perfect skill can make a flawless item, but only a great master can give life to the pieces he created. Looking at one such piece, one can understand Chinese concepts like the harmony of man and nature, the unity of heart and mind, and the inner spirits of things.
Beijing has a number of great shops with unique, beautiful Chinese furniture created by some of the best artisans in China. If you don’t have experience in buying Chinese furniture, you can find a personal shopper to take you to shops with well-established reputations and give you advice on which products to buy.
