Finding comfort in art
"The Palace Museum has a similar 'fridge' made of cedarwood, but this one made of huanghuali wood is more precious. The lining of it is made from a copper sheet to help keep the inside cold," he says.
Visitors are able to touch the exhibits at the museum, since it helps the furniture to form a patina on the surface. Some furniture has formed such a good patina which feels "as soft as baby's skin", he adds.
The museum's exhibits used to be private collections. Yu Feng says he began to develop an interest in Ming huanghuali furniture after reading Wang's books about it. He decided that he wanted to endow his own hobby with social value, and therefore transformed the private collection into a social and cultural resource, opening the collection up to the public after two years of preparation.
