Chinese Furniture: 3月 2016

I like Antique Chinese Furniture. I don't only like but admire and am spiritually dependent. Chinese antique furniture can be likened to a person who has gone through difficult challenges in life amid the many changes in circumstances. In silence he has stood his ground and bravely soldiered on .Despite his silence one feels that from him there is much to learn about the deeper aspects of life. His unique appearance which has weathered the test of time and usage has a quality of his own.

During the past 100 years from late Ching Dynasty until the modern time, China has witnessed constant turbulent and revolutionary times. As a continuation of ancient days of prosperity and extravagance, the wealthy people in late Ching were very particular with their daily life style. Every family had household furniture fixtures and fittings specially designed and made for them. These included doors, windows, roof- edges, cupboards, tables and chairs and down to smaller items such as boxes, baskets, cosmetic boxes. In all cases, meticulous care was applied to not only the functionality but also the craftsmanship as well as aesthetic appeal. They were valued as family treasures.

After the collapse of Ching Dynasty (1644--1912), China was plunged into another prolonged period of disasters. Internal conflicts between the Kuo Min Tang (KMT) and the Chinese communist party (CCP) and the Japanese invasion wreaked havoc across the country.
As the war raged on families abandoned their homes and left behind their treasured household belongings to thefts and wanton destruction.

War against the Japanese invasion ended in 1945 but the conflict between KMT the CCP went on until 1949. During the cultural revolution started in 1966 under Mao Ze Tung members of the intelligentsia, such as artists scholars and other intellectuals were dispatched to the country side for re-education . Over a period of some 10 years traditional values and social order were to large extent destroyed or disrupted. Many valuable artifacts of historical value, including a huge quantity of finely-carved intricately designed furniture traditionally favored by scholars were lost.

Following the reforms introduced by Deng Xiao Ping (1978) the Chinese economy began to improve. As the people's livelihood changed for the better, they, especially the younger generation no longer treasured what was left of the broken and used old furniture. They were either thrown away or used as fire woods. To the younger generation preference was for contemporary western style furnishing. Alas, those once highly treasured fine furnishing even if fortunate enough to survive the war years were to suffer the indignity of rejection by the descendants of the original proud owners.

With the tremendous progress made in the economy and increasing awareness of the unique value of their own culture, the people of China began to realize the importance of preserving and salvaging from what was left after the Cultural Revolution.

Bearing in mind the unusual historical passage, whenever I look at the old furniture in my shop I cannot help but feel a sense of admiration and gratification that they have miraculously survived destruction by wanton damage and mindless modification. In my eyes the odd blemishes here and there, if anything, are attractive as they testify to the exceptional experiences under-gone.

Someone asked me: Which item in your opinion is the most beautiful?

My reply: Honestly I can't answer you . Just like trying to judge who is the most beautiful among a group of beauties. As the saying goes ' One man's meat is another's poison '.

In time of peace household furniture plays an important part in every family but in time of war and destruction it becomes worthless. If it were a person, his resilience and ungrudging nature are truly admirable . He is always like a person full of life experiences, quietly and understandingly by your side; as if saying " I know ", sharing your moments of sadness, happiness, misfortune or good fortune. It takes a person with rich life experiences to appreciate furniture similarly endowed.

By : Cara Chua
Translate : Mr. Hwang

我对中国老家具的感情,不只是喜欢而已，甚至可以说还有敬佩和精神仰赖。它就像是一个曾经饱受风霜，经历无数波折的人，不管时代如何变迁，依然坚守自己的使命，默默地付出。即使是沉默的，但总让人感觉可以从他身上翻阅出珍贵宝藏，领略更深的人生启发。它所呈现的样貌，是经过岁月与际遇，逐渐刻画出的独特气质，是那么的独特。

中国至清末到近代中国，一百多年间，是一个处于动荡和改革的时代。延续着繁华时期的奢侈习惯，清末时期人们对衣食住行依然讲究，家具可以说是为每个家庭量身打造而产生的，由门窗屋檐，柜子，桌椅，到小盒子，提篮，梳妆盒等等，其工艺性，实用性和艺术性上都颇为重视，甚至视为是家产。

清朝（1644 – 1912）灭亡后的中国，面对国共两党的内斗，日本的侵略。内忧外患，战火连连的年代里，导致许多家破人亡，原本为一个家而制的家具，也面对了破坏与分散。

抗战结束（1945），疲惫不堪的中国继续着国共内斗，接着毛泽东时期（1949 – 1976）发生的文化大革命（1966），艺术家，文学家，知识分子等被下放乡下劳改，饱受身心灵的煎熬，导致许多人不堪摧残而身亡。这几年间不仅仅是社会次序紊乱，经济，艺术，文化，道德思想也被颠覆了。许多历史文物被摧毁，当然也殃及这群文儒之士所拥有的雕刻精美的家具和收藏。

到了邓小平的改革开放时代（1978 ），中国经济重新步入正轨，但人民追求新事物的心理，对于老家里残留下的老家具，很多被当成废材烂木扔了，换上时尚的西式家具。这时，这些曾被用心制造的家具，虽然在战火动荡中苟延残存下来，却被自己的后代摒弃于门外，倍感凄凉。

一直到现今，中国经济崛起，中国人对自己的历史，艺术，文物开始重视，才极力挽回，重新被欣赏。