Finding comfort in art
"Ming Suzhou-style huanghuali furniture is of high value in terms of its artistic and cultural connotations. It can be said to be a carrier of traditional Chinese culture since the ancient furniture is all about the lives of ancient people," says Yu.
The museum has four permanent exhibitions, showing chairs, tables, brackets and beds, respectively, and a temporary exhibition showing furniture similar to the collections of four master collectors of Ming furniture－Wang, Chen Mengjia, Gustav Ecke and Robert Ellsworth－to pay tribute to them.
"Huanghuali furniture is relatively light compared to another type of Ming furniture made of zitan (red sandalwood) and has gorgeous patterns which resemble odd faces, mountains and lakes," says Yu Zhaofeng, a researcher of the museum.
In the chair and stool exhibition area, there stands a huanghuali throne, which shines in a dazzling way under light.
"It shows the beauty of huanghuali furniture's patterns. For example, it has many intriguing patterns, as if ghosts are hidden in the wood, so it gives people the impression of mystery," he explains.
