When in China and you plan to import authentic China furniture to your home in the west, make sure you only visit the known furniture centers that have consistently been producing only the finest local furniture or maintaining genuine antiques. The country's centers for furniture-making over the centuries are in Beijing, Suzhou, Shanxi and Guangzhou. But of course, other regions in the country have their own which have been set up in modern times.
Beijing is home to the historic and now acclaimed tourist site called the Forbidden City. Here you will find the best furniture craftsmen who have descended from a line of fabulous furniture makers who continue to use the choicest wood to make Jin-styled furniture. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, these furniture were often built under the supervision of no less than the emperors or their ministries in charged of furniture crafting.
China furniture made in Guangdong reveal significant western artistic influence. In contract, there's the Su-style and Guang-style with their pervasive unstinting use of indigenous material which makes them look massive and solid. The Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family in Guangzhou showcases a wealth of Guang-styled furniture in its collection.
The Suzhou (Su for short) province and its adjacent locale are known for their furniture of the highest artistic value. Suzhou gardens such as Lion Grove Garden, Lingering Garden, Humble Administrator's Garden and the Garden of the Master of the Nets showcase precious treasure trove of Su-styled furniture.
China furniture crafted in Shanxi (Jin for short) exudes a charming harmonious blend of regal demeanor and local peasant heritage. Shanxi was considered one of the richest towns in mainland China during the Qing Dynasty. It was during this time that the Rishengchang Exchange Shop in Pingyao was founded to become the earliest bank in the country.
The ancient Wang's Compound, Ming and Qing Streets as well as Qiao's Compound in Pingyao, Shanxi showcase a superb and convincing testimony to the aesthetic richness and cultural heritage of the Jin-style furniture. The Shanghai Museum is arguably the best one stop showroom for Chinese Ming and Qing Furniture for visitors to appreciate various styles of classical China furniture.
Unlike other emerging styles in the Qing period, the Jin-style uses walnut wood that has less wood engraving. In its place you get inlaid stone, ivory and porcelain which were preferred among the gaudy rich as they never fail to catch one's attention more easily than ornate carvings on the word furniture.
If you are in the market for antique or reproduction furniture, know that there has been a revival of Ming and Qing furniture as art investment that is seeing its value appreciate over the last 20 years.
