Chinese Culture & History

    Oak (Zuomu, Gaolimu) furniture

    The somewhat less dense (.67-.75 g/cm3) Mongolian Oak (Q. mongolica) grows throughout north central and northeastern China, and is found from stretching westward through Japan , Korea, Mongolia, and Siberia. A similar species of growing in the Xing’anling region of Continue Reading

    Miao Dresses and Adornments 苗族服饰

    When formally dressed, women of Miao in Xijiang region of Leishan County wear beautiful silver adornments all over their bodies and on their heads. They also wear necklaces and ornamental chaplets around their necks, silver locks on their Continue Reading

    Kung Fu :Emei Sect 功夫:峨眉派

    Another monk Master Deyuan in the Southern Song Dynasty was important in establishing Emei Kungfu as an independent sect. While living near Emei Mountain, he observed the monkeys and their movements. He eventually invented a set of monkey fists Continue Reading

    Chinese furniture: Paktong

    Paktong, or baitong hardware was commonly used for reinforcement and decoration. Paktong is essentially a brass alloy with a 5-10% nickel content with imparts a silvery luster and retards the tarnishing which is typical to brass. Metalsmiths were a Continue Reading

    Chinese furniture: Woven Cane

    Soft, woven seats were traditional to Ming and early Qing furniture, although the use of hard seat panels is occasionally noted in early examples. Aside from its pliable support, the airiness of the woven bed frame was especially comfortable Continue Reading

    Film——The Grandmasters 一代宗师

       Directed by Wong Kar-wai Produced by Ng See-yuenWong Kar-wai Written by Wong Kar-wai   Starring Tony LeungZhang ZiyiChang ChenCung LeZhao BenshanXiaoshenyang   Plot: “The Grand Master” will center around legendary martial-arts masterIp Man (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), who had Continue Reading

    Chinese furniture: Joinery & Construction

    Understanding joinery and construction further enhances the connoisseurship of Chinese hardwood furniture. To the aesthetically inclined observer, the study of joinery may seem at first an unusual approach, yet the techniques employed play an important part in the overall Continue Reading

    Chinese furniture: Frame-and-panel Construction

    This ‘tongue-and-groove’ system secures the panel within the frame without glue or nails and permits the panel to float within the frame to accommodate its slight expansion and contraction due to changes in humidity. Additionally, transverse braces—whose number depends Continue Reading

    Jinde Town 景德镇

    景德镇历史悠久,千年窑火不断。汉唐以来以盛产陶瓷而著称于世,景德镇在明代时就与河南朱仙镇、湖北汉口镇、广东佛山镇并称为中国四大名镇。 Jingde Town has a long history and the kilns there continue working after thousands of years of use. The town is famous for producing porcelain wares following the Han and Tang dynasties. In the Ming Dynasty, Jingde Town Continue Reading

    The Writing Brush 毛笔

    在林林总总的笔类制品中,毛笔算是中国独有的品类。传统的毛笔不但是古人必备的文房用具,而且在表达中华书法、绘画的特殊韵味上具有与众不同的魅力。 Of the various writing and painting instruments, the writing brush is unique to China. Traditional writing brushes were not only an everyday necessity for ancient people of literature in their studies, but also has the unique charms in Continue Reading