Category: Chinese customs

Although furniture made from oak is somewhat rare, the material has long been known as an excellent furniture-making wood. The variety known as gaoli was used in the Yongzheng (1723-1735) Imperial workshops, and earlier examples have also survived. Botanists have identified one hundred forty types of oaks widely distributed throughout China. These are divided into the evergreen Qingfeng group and the Mali group, the latter inclusive of both deciduous and evergreen varieties. Three species suited for furniture-making are noted below.

最华丽的苗装
要数台江施洞苗族女子的盛装，其以刺绣精，银饰多而著名。被称为绣衣的施洞苗衣，两袖和领、襟、两肩均有精美的刺绣图案，因其后背，前襟、袖口镶满錾花银片，银泡，银响铃等，又被称为银衣，是苗族服饰中的精品。The Most Gorgeous Miao Dress
Woman’s dresses from Shidong of Taijiang are the most gorgeous Miao dresses because of their intricate embroideries and silver adornments. Known as embroidered dresses, Miao dresses from Shidong have beautiful patterns on the two sleeves, front and two shoulders. It is also known as a silver dress due to its silver flakes with embossed patterns, silver bubbles and silver bells on the back, front part and cuffs.
穿裙最短的
是雷山桥港苗族。不盈6寸的超短裙，无下罕见，但却是世居深山的桥港苗族女子喜爱的裙装。桥港苗女，内穿青布紧身大襟衣，外穿深红缎对襟短衣。6寸长的细褶裙，层层缠绕腰间，使臀围显得特大。短裙外，前围腰长及膝部，后围腰长至脚跟。系织花腰带，又垂8根花带于身后，如锦鸡羽毛。下着青布紧腿裤，脚穿翘尖绣花鞋，头绾大髻，戴凤雀银钗，身佩各种银饰。穿裙最多的是台江岩板苗。岩板苗族女子身着右衽大襟短衣。自制的细褶短裙达30至40条之多，裙厚近40厘米，以显示自己富有和聪明。其身前系一条织花长围腰，垂至脚面，腰间缠4至5条花腰带，均系结飘于身后，裹绑腿，穿花鞋，服式较奇。The Shortest Skirt
The skirt of the Miao people in Qiaogang of Leishan Mountain is the shortest of all Miao skirts, only 6 cun (1 cun equals to 1/30 meter). But the Miao women of Qiaogang who live deep in the mountain like such skirts. They wear blue tight garments with buttons on the right inside and dark red short silk jacket with buttons down the front outside. The 6-cun long skirts with tiny pleats are surrounded on the waist in layers, which make their hiplines look larger. Outside the skirts are waist protectors reaching the knees in the front and heels in the back. They also wear decorated waistbands. Eight colorful ribbons drop down the waistbands, just like feathers of golden pheasants. On their heads are big hair buns, silver hairpins in the shapes of phoenix and sparrow.
最华丽的男装
是榕江八开地区苗族男子祭祖时，穿戴的盛装极为华丽并民族特色浓郁。他们头上戴着象征闪电的银鼓钉头箍，据说其有驱邪避鬼的威力。The Most Gorgeous Men’s Suits
While offering sacrifices to their ancestors, Miao men from the Bakai region of Rongjiang wear very gorgeous suits with great ethnic characteristics. They have hoops with silver drum nails on their heads. The hoops represent thunder, which is said to have the ability to drive away evil spirits and ghosts.
最长的头帕
是剑河县久仰苗族男子盛装时其包头帕长3至4丈，在头部缠成大盘并缀以鲜花或插上羽毛，非常独特。The Longest Head Kerchief
While wearing formal suits, Miao men in Jiuyang of Jianhe County use kerchiefs that are 3-4 zhang long (1 zhang equals to 3.33 meters) to wrap their heads into large hats, and then decorate them with fresh flowers and feathers.
最大的银角
是雷山西江地区苗族少女盛装时戴的银角，是苗族最大的银角，高约70厘米，宽约50厘米，角上錾有精致的双龙抢宝图案。银角中间插有硕大的银扇，当地人亦称之为棕叶银花。The Biggest Silver Points
Miao women in Xijiang region of Leishan Mountain use the biggest silver points in their headware. At 70 cm high and 50 cm wide, the silver points have the embossed pattern of a double dragon trying to find treasure. At the central part of the silver point is a big silver fan, which is called palm leaves and silver flower by the locals.
最古老的银饰
是雷山县达落村苗族少女佩载山字形头饰和柱式拧花项饰，传说这种装束同芦笙一样古老。The Oldest Silver Adornments
Maidens of the Miao group in Daluo Village of Leishan County wear “W” shaped head adornments and column shaped twisted neck adornments. These adornments are said to have a history as long as that of lusheng music instrument.
最重的银饰
是雷山县西江地区的苗族姑娘银衣盛装时，全身前后和头上都缀以精美银饰品，同时佩戴链式项饰和龙骨项圈，胸佩银锁，衣后背满饰錾花银片、缀银链和银铃，全身银饰品重达10多公斤，十分华丽。The Heaviest Silver Adornments
When formally dressed, women of Miao in Xijiang region of Leishan County wear beautiful silver adornments all over their bodies and on their heads. They also wear necklaces and ornamental chaplets around their necks, silver locks on their chests, silver flakes with embossed patterns, silver chains and silver bells on the back. All the gorgeous silver adornments weigh more than 10 kg.

Nanmu and nanmu burl (douban nan) were frequently mentioned as materials par excellence in Ming literati writings. The former was often used for cabinet construction; the latter, for decorative cabinet door and table top panels as well as smaller scholar's objects.

Like the artistry and craftsmanship in wood furniture, paintings also reveal that bamboo furniture-making techiniques were also highly developed by the Song dynasty. Luohans seated in bamboo meditation chairs also show parallel associations of common bamboo with asceticism and humility. Moreover, bamboo also characterizes the virtues of strength and endurance; it yields to the strongest winds without breaking; its hollow body has the capacity for usefulness, and its ascending nodules reveal the spirit of fortitude. Thus, bamboo was also popular amongst the aspiring Confucian scholar.

Huaimu is Chinese Locust in China. Locust initially appears quite similar to northern elm. In the Northern Song architecture treatise Yingzao fashi, locust and elm (yu) were categorized "miscellaneous hardwoods" of similar sawing difficulty. However, locust is appreciably more dense (.79-.81 g/cm3), and the surface is more coarsely textured.

Located in Dongcheng District of Beijing, Wangfujing is one of the country's most popular shopping streets, as well as one of its most famous. The street, which is about 1,500 meters long, boasts a large number of old and famous shops, like the Shengxifu hat store, the Ruifuxiang silk store and the Wuyutai tea house. It also has a snack street that runs through the hutongs just west of the main street, where a variety of street food can be purchased and sampled.
 

Boxwood is Huangyang Wood in China. Boxwood is a small tree and shrub. Due to the limited size of the material, it is rarely used for full-sized pieces of furniture, but more often for small, carved objects or as decorative inlay. Boxwood is very durable and dense (.83-.93 g/cm3), and its fine even texture makes it especially suitable for carving.

Burl is Yingmu, Huamu wood in China. Burls are abnormal projections that bulge out from or encircle the trunks or branches of trees. What causes them remains unknown and their tumor-like growth does not appear to adversely affect the tree's health. Various theories suggest that they result from falling trees, fire or frost damage, invading fungus or bacteria, or even woodpeckers. Certain species, such as camphor, elm, nanmu, cypress, and willow also seem to be more susceptible to burl growths.