Classical Chinese furniture is closely related both aesthetically and technically to traditional Chinese architecture. The basic mortise and tenon system of joinery found in hardwood furniture is deeply rooted in the more ancient tradition of architectural timber framing. The preference for exposed structural elements, reliance on the natural beauty of wood and refined proportions, are principles fundamental to both traditions.
Chinese furniture has ancient origins. A few, small examples of lacquer furniture have survived from Warring States (475-221 B.C.) and Han (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) tombs. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), possibly under Buddhist influence, the Chinese began to change from the habit of kneeling or sitting on mats or low platforms to sitting with legs pendent on stools and chairs. By the Northern Sung dynasty (960-1127), the transformation to the use of tall tables and chairs constructed of soft wood seems to have been complete. The joinery system and decorative styles of Sung furniture laid the foundation for the technical and aesthetic perfection encountered in the classical hardwood furniture of late Ming and early Ch'ing (late 16th-18th century) dynasties.
With the importation of new, exceptionally durable and beautiful Southeast Asian hardwoods during Ming, Chinese joinery techniques were refined and undecorated woods gained acceptance. Furniture of Ming and early Ch'ing is characterized by simple, elegant structures with fluid lines, balanced proportions and concealed joints. Valued for their natural beauty, the expensive, richly grained hardwoods were finished with only wax. As the supply of imported hardwoods was depleted during the late seventeen hundreds, the high technical and artistic standards of the previous two centuries were largely lost.