It is a grand feast for the eyes when lingering on the lines of China's antique doors and windows, which are legacies from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and when appreciating the excellent workmanship, wood, and styling. The doors and windows, elaborately carved with latticework (a kind of openwork in which strips of wood or metal are fastened together in a cross, thereby forming square- or diamond-shaped spaces in between) and bas-reliefs (carvings that rise from the background), have become the hallmarks of classic antique Chinese architectural ornamentation as well as furniture.

Fanciful latticework

The latticework of diverse and elaborate designs that characterizes the traditional doors and windows has exerted a far-reaching influence on Chinese architectural ornamentation. In ancient times, one's house usually told much about his or her taste, status, and wealth. As a result, when a person had a house built for him or her, he or she paid much attention to its architecture.

In some window latticework you may still find thin layers of gold foil, which indicates the houses' past eminence, while some carved boards feature geometric variations of Buddhist symbols. Others are carved with poems and lyrics, or even calligraphy and paintings, which implies that literary families once lived in the houses.

Traditional Chinese doors and windows display a wide range of latticework motifs that are a reflection of the Chinese philosophy on the harmony between man and nature.

Latticework motifs on doors, partitions, and windows are mostly derived from traditional designs with auspicious meanings, such as storks, deer, kylins (Chinese mythical beasts), pied magpies, bats, peonies, and fu (the Chinese character for happiness), all symbolizing longevity, good health, and wealth.

Latticework is often enhanced by various motifs such as arabesques (intricate floral designs), figures, and episodes from local operas and folk stories. Geometric and cross patterns are also favored because they are simple yet graceful. There are also motifs based on the symbols of the five elements (air, earth, fire, water, and wood) and the eight trigrams (sky, earth, thunder, wind, water or moon, fire or sun, mountain, and water). The carved boards are mainly those from doors, windows, tables, beds, chairs, and screens.

Wood employed to make them are mostly nanmu, zhangmu (camphor wood), baimu (cypress wood), red sandalwood, zitan (padauk), ebony and so on. Of these, nanmu and red sandalwood are the most highly valued materials, as they are dense, hard, and resistant to decay. The methods of carving include relief carving, line engraving, negative engraving, openwork carving, and free-style carving, applied accordingly to wood of different textures.

Flourishing age of decorative arts

China's traditional architectural ornamentation, a centuries-old art in which carved wood doors and windows played an important role, prevailed especially during the Ming and Qing periods.

By the end of the 16th century, architectural ornament, which became very popular during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) over 1,000 years ago, had become a sumptuous part of a building, with great displays of marquetry (inlaid works) and carving, decorated with beautiful latticework motifs derived from traditional designs that reflected Chinese culture.

The Ming Dynasty was an age of expansion and prosperity when decorative arts flourished, while its wood doors and windows, simple but elegant, were characterized by soft curves, flowing lines and appealing proportions. This distinct artistic style could also be seen in all varieties of Ming furniture. Great emphasis was placed on the use of the wood's natural beauty together with the adoption of latticework and openwork carving.

Influenced by the burgeoning foreign trade and advanced craftsmanship, doors and windows of the Qing period, larger and more imposing in contrast, favored rich and intricate ornamentation, along with coordinated engraved designs. A large number of complicated woodcarving patterns were added.

Although these two types differed greatly in style, each reached a high level of artistic success with exquisite design, unique workmanship, and careful carving, and can claim a place in the history of China's architectural ornamentation.

Regional diversification

Traditional Chinese doors and windows were different in style from place to place. In ancient times, woodcarving was well developed in South China. Windows and doors of the eastern provinces of Zhejiang and Anhui were often elaborately decorated with latticework and bas-reliefs.

Those of China's coastal provinces of Fujian (East China) and Guangdong (South) were usually gorgeously painted. But people living along the lower Yangtze River stressed the natural beauty of wood and preferred their doors and windows unpainted.

Doors and windows in the South, often decorated with characters from theatrical plays, were much finer than those in the North; while in the North, doors and windows mostly featured things in the natural world, such as geometric symbols, plants and animals, and sometimes even human figures.

In the 15th century, carpenters and jointers began to move to the North from Zhejiang Province. As a result, doors and windows featuring patterns of South China style began to be found in the North.

Old furniture in modern homes

Classical Chinese furniture, categorized into groups of windows, beds, stools, chairs, wardrobes, chests, and tables, are currently becoming a new fashion and part of the younger generation's modern lifestyle. Modern people accustomed to using Western-style furniture are inevitably overcome with a longing for past grandeur when they discover the quality of materials used, the excellence of workmanship, and the fine ornamental carving of traditional Chinese furniture.

The carved boards, a kind of highly decorative architectural ornamentation with rich and storytelling designs, can be used as murals hanging on walls or in front of alcoves. These boards, which are very lifelike, are sure to spark interest among visiting guests.

A well-proportioned mobile fretwork (thinly patterned wood design) window placed on the table and covered with glass usually looks great and can be admired with a cup of coffee or tea. In addition to serving as a decoration, old fretwork windows can also be put together to form a screen, (pingfeng in Chinese), or to divide the space in a large sitting room.

Traditional style furniture not only lives and thrives in China; furniture aficionados of other countries who buy a piece of Chinese style furniture will usually display it with pride in a prominent place in their house.

(By Vivien Song)