BAMBOO AND RUSTIC FURNITURE

Bamboo has a long history of use in Chinese furniture. It also has a distinct style based on millennia-long traditions. The plant’s long life makes it a Chinese symbol of longevity, while the rarity of its blossoming has led to the plant’s flowers being regarded as a sign of impending famine. In Chinese culture, the bamboo, plum blossom, orchid and chrysanthemum are collectively referred to as the Four Gentlemen. These four plants also represent the four seasons and, in Confucian ideology, four aspects of the Junzi (‘prince’ or ‘noble one’). As for the way in which pieces of such bamboo furniture are used, they serve as armchairs, spare seating, stools, cabinets and even baby carriages, indicating the natural part of everyday life as well as a casual attitude. Even though commonly seen as convenient and expendable objects, the elegant yet unconstrained aspects of bamboo furniture throughout history have always been valued. At the same time, such furniture can be seen being used by Zen priests and Confucian scholars, evidencing a historically ascetic and unconventional side. Nowadays, the use of bamboo furniture is more and more popular in Chinese houses, and has come to coincide with an image of a certain contemporary lifestyle that yet harks back to a rustic and honorable tradition.

The dining area of a modern chinese apartment, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong. The chairs are faux bamboo, carved in a once-popular style from wood.

A chinese bamboo reclining lounger with retractable foot stool.

A chunky provincial-style bamboo sofa used as an endboard for a bed.

An antique provincial bamboo kitchen cabinet with open and closed storage spaces.

Two eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Beijing glass pendants function as doors pulls on a bamboo cupboard.

Simple locally made bamboo chairs furnish the eclectic sitting area of an artist’s atelier in shanghai.