Chinese Furniture in Modern Day 
cctv.com 05-10-2005 17:17
Welcome to this edition of Rediscovering China. I鈥檓 Laurel Bennett and I鈥檓 from the United States. China is an ancient country with a history of more than 5,000 years. Chinese are distinct not only in their complexion and language, but most importantly, China is characterized by its unique cultural heritage and philosophical thinking. These old Chinese furniture came into being in the 17th century. But today, they are still dearly welcomed by consumers because of their good quality. Classical Chinese Furniture reflects traditional Chinese artistry and craftsmanship.
Over the last few years, antique Chinese furniture has become very popular. The prices are rising every year. The new owners of this antique furniture are mainly big enterprises, big shots of the entertainment industry, or owners of private business and corporations. And they are building their collections through a number of different means.
The term 鈥淎ntique Chinese furniture鈥 refers in particular to the furniture made during the Ming and Qing dynasties, especially during the years from 1522-1735. It was during that time that both style and culture of the furniture reached its peak. Antique Chinese furniture holds a pretty high position in world furniture culture. Of course, besides the Ming and Qing furniture, there is a lot of antique furniture of the Republic of China on the market. Although it is less expensive, it is valuable for daily use and decoration.
LAUREL: I like to go to a coffee shop after work to get a coffee. But even more I like to go to a Chinese teahouse to have a hot cup of tea.
I feel like I go back in time when I鈥檓 sitting in front a table from Ming dynasty and in a chair from Qing dynasty.
I love the delicate wood and china tea sets on the table; all perfectly in order.
In Beijing, there are, of course, many Chinese restaurants. In these restaurants, one can not only enjoys delicious eastern food, but also experiences inter relation among Chinese food culture, Chinese furniture and structures.
Northern Europeans have a genius for family decoration. In furniture industry, they perfectly combine practicality and art, and have great influence over the world fashion. Denmark furniture design is often ranked as classic; Sweden is good at making fashionable products; Finland furniture is simple and practical; Norwegian furniture is characterized by its massive size and simple style. They share some similarities, but they are distinct.
For really good Chinese furniture, the pursuit of delicate and simple lines is the same as that of European furniture. You might think the Chinese furniture is too traditional and can鈥檛 compete with modern furniture styles. But in fact, putting one or two more ornate Chinese furnishings among the modern ones can create an oriental feel and still be functional.
Currently, antique Chinese furniture is very popular in the world and especially in the West. Many westerners are choosing to decorate their homes with antique Chinese furniture.
Vlad Reyes is the General Manager for the Hilton? Hotel in Beijing. The pieces he bought for the hotel were not very valuable but perfectly suited for an indoor environment.
In his apartment, I saw how much some simple pieces could really add warmth and class to a home environment.
A saying goes like this: everything can go back to its original condition. Though simple western furniture is still dearly welcomed by young generations, undoubtedly, Chinese classic furniture attracts more and more attention. To decorate your house in traditional Chinese style becomes a fashion.
In this residential area, there are many new homes and many of these homeowners are choosing to create a traditional Asian atmosphere by decorating with Chinese furniture.
When used, the furniture can satisfy your every requirement for functions; when not, its artistic effect can be amplified. Thus, the room is permeated in a romantic atmosphere. This is the unique feature of Chinese classic furniture, a perfect combination of practicality and art.
Urban reconstruction is undergoing in many cities in China. Every day, many families will move into their new apartments. Many households wish to decorate their homes in classic Chinese style. Now, I鈥檓 curious about how can people manage to have a Chinese-styled home in Beijing?
Curio City and Longshun City are two of the big furniture markets in Beijing. These markets are expensive but they have many genuine antiques from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. They also sell new imitations. Even though they鈥檙e not real antiques, they still cost a pretty penny.
The structure and line of Chinese structure and texture and color of the wood are where its charm lies. Chinese furniture is mostly made of wood, which can be classified into hardwood and softwood.
To make a good piece of furniture, it鈥檚 important that one use the best materials. Traditional Chinese furniture was usually made of heavy, hard wood.
This kind of tree grows only in the southeastern part of India. It was called 鈥渟mall leaf red sandalwood鈥, and considered to be the most expensive kind of wood. Red sandalwood is the hardest and heaviest kind of hard wood, and is usually a dark purple color. The grain is so small, you can barely see its texture. Red sandalwood gives a very steady and sturdy feel to a piece of furniture.
Hua Li trees can now only be found in Hainan Island, China. Hua Li wood was commonly used to make furniture during the Ming Dynasty. This kind of wood is very dense and the color varies anywhere from light yellow to dark brown. Its texture can be seen more easily which creates some contrast in the color.
Usually the color of Hua Li wood funiture becomes brighter as the furniture becomes older. That makes it is even more suitable for modern rooms.
There are many types of wood that are used to make traditional Chinese furniture such as chicken wing wood, ironwood, ebony, rosewood and padauk. These kinds of wood are very strong, so the furniture that鈥檚 made from them usually lasts a long time.
However, due to the long-time exploitation of the forests, some kinds of wood are all but extinct. The government has planted a regeneration forest, but most red woods grow slowly.
In recent years, Chinese furniture producers have imported some new wood from Indonesia, Vietnam, Burma, Brazil and Africa. Not only is it good for the furniture market to get the right kinds of wood, but the wood from these other countries is less expensive and so using it actually brings down production costs.
The purpose of the furniture is to facilitate people鈥檚 daily life. The history of Chinese furniture is very long. Of course, as the society changed and developed, people adopted new type of furniture, consequently, different styles emerged. For example, a piece like this is large enough to sit one person. In the old society, it was taller. But as we modern people like comfort, it becomes lower. So it sits much better now.
Since the style is called 鈥淐hinese furniture鈥, it has to possess the traditional Chinese elements. This is the essence of Chinese furniture. The fact that the furniture really reflects the culture is what makes it so appealing to both Chinese and foreigners
Today, in our modern world, quality of life is something that is important to many people. They demand more and more functions of furniture. So, the Chinese furniture that is created today is designed to serve various purposes.
This Chinese cabinet is beautifully decorated with ancient Chinese paintings. But inside was anything but old. You can see a modern day鈥檚 television.
In Beijing, there are enterprises that specialize in designing and manufacturing Chinese furniture.
Of course, the style of these new redwood furnishings is slightly different from the traditional style of Chinese furniture. They boast more features of modern furniture such as the height of chairs and the width of tables. They are made to accommodate modern people鈥檚 daily lives. They are less cultured than the traditional Chinese furniture, but share the same delicate craftsmanship. Slight alterations have made Chinese furniture a more practical buy.
Today, the design of the improved modern Chinese furniture integrates the human engineering into the traditional models, taking the actual needs of modern life and combined some fashionable elements from both China and abroad. In this way, the furniture can suit the sense of the times, the families and personal taste as well.
People who want to give their home a traditional Chinese style often decorate with artifacts in an ancient style. For example, carpentry likes this. This is ZhongKui who in Chinese ancient mythology is a kind of God who fights with evil spirit and locks them away. A piece like this can really bring your room together as well as a reminder of Chinese rich culture history.
These knick-knacks are all handicrafts, carefully carved by skillful craftsmen. They are made of top quality materials. These ornaments have the concept of new, modern era. Each of them is different. The lacquers and the textures used to really make the carving as beautiful as possible. Here, an elegant curve, a simple symbol is what makes it more than simple woodworking; it鈥檚 become a culture in and of itself.
Good carved wooden handicrafts are closely related to life. They record Chinese history, culture and traditions. As a result, the aesthetic value of them is greater than their practical value.
This ancient carpentry鈥檚 system is especially smart and talented. They build on a system of hinges. One doesn鈥檛 need handles to open a drawer.
Chinese carpenters not only use wood to make furniture or artifacts, but also all kinds of national instruments, just like the Italians, who are famous for making violins.
This can be attributed to the economic development, a large number of modern furniture produced by the assembly line, or people鈥檚 yearning for traditional culture. Nevertheless, Chinese are now enthusiastic about classic Chinese furniture. Foreigners are also attracted by its charm. Thanks for watching this edition of Rediscovering China. I鈥檓 Laurel Bennett. See you next time.
Editor:Hu Source:CCTV.com
