SITTING IN COMFORT
The ongoing China Chair Exhibition at Tsinghua University showcases pieces by both ancient craftsmen and modern Chinese designers. Sun Yuanqing reports.
Traditional Chinese chairs are admittedly beautiful, but are they comfortable to sit in, and how can they fit in a modern home? These are questions that modern Chinese designers have been grappling with.
The ongoing China Chair Exhibition that opened at Tsinghua University recently showcases 39 pieces by both ancient craftsmen and modern Chinese designers like Shi Dayu and Zhu Xiaojie. It aims to promote modern Chinese furniture design.
Jeff Dayu Shi’s award-winning Chair Gang Rou draws inspiration from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. It is lightweight as it employs a delicate structure built from bamboo. And it is also stackable, which is not typical of traditional Chinese chairs.
Zhu Xiaojie is another designer, who is inspired by the Ming Dynasty. He simplified the structure of the Ming-style chair, used a knitting technique from northern Europe and wrapped it in leather to create the Cheering Chair.
Designer Gao Yang reinterpreted the classic Chinese drum chair, which employs the shape of a drum with steel wires.
Ma Weidu, an art collector and founder of the Guanfu Museum, has contributed two pieces to the exhibition, both from the late Ming Dynasty.
A forum was held alongside the exhibition to discuss how chair design must keep up with modern times.
Chinese furniture design is deeply rooted in Confucian culture, but in recent years it has been either following Western trends or going back to the old times, says Liang Mei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
“When you live the Chinese lifestyle, it is natural to want your own furniture designs. Imitations will not work,” she says.
But traditional Chinese furniture needs to cater to a modern way of life, says Wu Yanling, the daughter of renowned furniture designer Wu Bingliang.
“A lot of ancient chair designs focus only on posture, but chairs now have to be comfortable, too,” she says.
Chen Baoguang, vice-chairman of the China National Furniture Association, says: “Chinese furniture has drawn a lot from European, US and Japanese styles in recent years. But we have a mission to promote modern Chinese furniture design.”
The exhibition is supported by the China National Arts Fund and co-hosted by Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design.
The exhibition will travel to Suzhou and Guangzhou in the next six months. Contact the writer at sunyuanqing@chinadaily.com.cn