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 of Beijing culture, and an extremely important part of the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. Statistics show that the cultural relics preserved in Beijing's museums and cultural institutions alone number over 2 million pieces, while those buried underground and scattered among the people are even more numerous, 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 on display 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 the abundance of high-quality pieces. Through various forms, showcasing Beijing's cultural relic collections is the responsibility of cultural relic workers to convey 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 museums and cultural institutions in Beijing, categorizes and publishes them in separate volumes, not only meeting the needs of cultural relic enthusiasts but also providing a comprehensive and in-depth promotion of Beijing culture. This is also an important project in the development of Beijing's cultural construction.
I. The selection range of the "The Essence of Beijing Cultural Relics" Furniture Volume includes 122 pieces (sets) of furniture from the Liao, Jin, Ming, and Qing dynasties.
II. 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.
III. 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.
IV. All the furniture included in this volume are collections from museums, cultural relic management offices, and cultural relic protection units in Beijing. A small number are selected from private collections in the Beijing area.
V. The dates of the furniture included in this volume are mostly identified by experts. Due to the difficulty in accurately determining the dating of furniture, this volume is temporarily divided by broad historical periods and the characteristics of the furniture styles.