Beijing Cultural Relics Essence Series · Furniture Volume

Author: Editorial Committee of "The Essence of Beijing Cultural Relics"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China and a world-renowned historical and cultural city. Over the long course of its history, Beijing has created a splendid civilization and formed its own unique culture. The existing cultural relics in Beijing are abundant and invaluable, serving as witnesses to the creation of history by the people, the material carrier of Beijing's culture, and an extremely important part of the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. Statistics show that the cultural relics stored in Beijing's museums and cultural relic management institutions alone number over 2 million pieces. Moreover, countless cultural relics are buried underground or scattered among the people, with many new discoveries made in recent years. These cultural relics are extremely precious for people to understand and appreciate Beijing, as well as for promoting the culture of the Chinese nation and even Beijing itself. For years, although these cultural relics have been well-preserved, they have been difficult to display, with only a small number exhibited in museums. For those who love Beijing and its cultural relics, not being able to see these treasures is a great regret. Beijing's cultural relics are renowned worldwide for their profound cultural connotations and numerous masterpieces. Through various forms, showcasing Beijing's cultural relic collections is the responsibility of cultural relic workers in passing on historical and cultural information. The "The Essence of Beijing Cultural Relics" published in collaboration by the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau and Beijing Publishing House is an effort in this regard. "The Essence of Beijing Cultural Relics" selects thousands of outstanding cultural relics from the collections of various cultural relic institutions in Beijing, classifying and publishing them in separate volumes. This not only meets the needs of cultural relic enthusiasts but also provides a comprehensive and in-depth promotion of Beijing's culture. This is also an important project in the cultural construction of Beijing.
1. The selection range of furniture in "The Essence of Beijing Cultural Relics: Furniture Volume" includes 122 pieces (sets) of furniture from the Liao, Jin, Ming, and Qing dynasties.
2. The furniture in this volume are arranged in chronological order: Liao and Jin period, Ming Dynasty, and Qing Dynasty. Within this chronological order, the furniture are further categorized into six types: chairs and stools, small tables, cabinets, beds and couches, stands, and screens.
3. This volume begins with two essays: "The Beauty of Chinese Classical Furniture" and "Ornaments of Ming and Qing Furniture." At the end of the volume, there are illustrations with descriptive text, providing introductions to the names, dates, materials, original locations, and current locations of the furniture, to assist researchers.
4. All the furniture included in this volume are collections from museums, cultural relic management institutions, and cultural relic protection units in Beijing. A small number are selected from private collections in the Beijing area.
5. The dates of the furniture included in this volume are mostly determined by experts. Due to the difficulty in accurately dating furniture, this volume temporarily classifies them by broad historical periods and the characteristics of the furniture styles.