You recognize several kinds of high-level traditional furniture using wood?

Traditional Chinese furniture materials are: incense branch (i.e., Huanghuali), sour branch, rosewood, pear, iron pear, ebony, chicken wing wood, nanmu, camphor wood, shadow wood, yellow Yang, beech, elm, birch and so on. In recent years, a large number of high-quality wood imported from abroad varieties, the name is also very confusing. The majority of consumers and the lack of awareness of various types of high-grade wood, some profit-oriented people use people to appreciate the psychology of high-grade wood, substandard, where the black wood, no matter how good or bad more pretending to be rosewood; where the yellow wood is more known as pear or yellow rosewood. From profiteering, cheating ill-gotten gains. In order to standardize the timber market and improve consumer awareness of wood, it is recommended to read more books on botany. A few years ago the state forestry administration wood industry research institute Mr. Yang Jiaju edited a book on wood standards, called "China mahogany". The book uses the vague concept of "mahogany", which is questionable. But the book on the scientific classification of various types of wood and the specific analysis of various types of wood is an important reference value.

Rosewood

Rosewood is one of the world's most valuable wood species, (refers to high-quality rosewood) due to the scarcity of the number of people who see not much, and then for the world to cherish. According to historical records, rosewood is mainly produced in the tropical areas of the South Pacific Islands, followed by Southeast Asia. China's guangdong, guangxi also produces rosewood, but the number is not much. Large quantities of material mainly rely on imports.

Pterocarpus indicus is an evergreen sub-tree, five or six feet high, the leaves are compound leaves, flowers butterfly-shaped, the fruit has wings, the wood is very firm color red, into the water that is sunk. According to "Chinese tree taxonomy" introduction: "rosewood belongs to the legume family, there are about fifteen species, produced in our country there are two kinds, one for rosewood, a rosewood". According to the modern botanical community's understanding, rosewood is actually produced in India, big fruit rosewood. It is very different from the traditional sense of rosewood, people will not take it as rosewood. In the fifteen species of wood in the genus rosewood, in addition to sandalwood produced in the southern Indian state of Mysore (commonly known as cowhair rosewood), the rest are all known as grass pear. Rosewood is only one of the varieties of rosewood. No matter which kind of grass pear, its color, texture, hardness are different from the traditional understanding of rosewood, it belongs to the genus rosewood plants, but can not be compared with rosewood. Mr. Wang Shixiang in the "Ming furniture appreciation" mentioned "the United States Schaeffer has made a survey of rosewood, that China imported from Indochina rosewood is rosewood". This argument is obviously wrong.

"Museum" and "all the Fans Zhi" the rosewood classified as sandalwood, that rosewood is a sandalwood. Museum of the "contained:" sandalwood there are several kinds of yellow, white and purple odd, now people use it. Jianghuai Heshuo is born is its type, but not fragrant ear". Also said: "sandalwood out of Guangdong, Yunnan and Chamchung, Chenla, Java, Bohai Nai, Siam, Sanfo Qi, back to the countries. Now Lingnan and other places are also available. Leaves are like lychee, skin green and slippery". "sandalwood leather and color yellow for yellow sandalwood, leather clean and color white for white sandalwood, leather House and purple for purple sandalwood. And firm and heavy fragrance, and white sandalwood is particularly good". Volume of "all the tomatoes," said: "its trees such as China's lychee, its leaves are also, purple is called purple sandalwood. These two books in the introduction of the purple sandalwood does not seem to be the furniture used in the Ming and Qing dynasties purple sandalwood. Rather, it refers exclusively to the spice sandalwood. From its purple sandalwood, yellow sandalwood, white sandalwood confused together, his knowledge of rosewood is not deep. In fact, purple sandalwood, yellow sandalwood and white sandalwood branches, flowers and leaves are very different, is not the same genus.

In the colloquial language of some people in Beijing, there are new and old rosewood. Think the old color purple, the new color red, the actual observation, they refer to the new rosewood is largely black acid branch. The old rosewood refers to people's traditional recognition of the cowhair pattern rosewood. This cowrie pattern rosewood and because of different ecological environment and have different characteristics, some present a golden star, some wood color present chicken blood red, and thus the derivation of a golden star rosewood and chicken blood rosewood and other names to. In fact, they belong to the same species. Rosewood characteristics are mainly manifested in the color of rhinoceros role, exposed to the air for a long time into purple-black. (Editor's note: the small-leaf rosewood was just opened when the deep yellow, to be two or three days later will become rich red, with the accumulation of years and eventually for the noble purple-black color.) Rosewood annual grain is mostly stranded. Some people call this crab claw pattern or cow hair pattern. Although there is also a straight silk place, but look closely there is always stranded silk grain. Rosewood bristle eye fine, heavy wood, the production of rosewood furniture, more than the use of its natural characteristics, the use of light vegetarian techniques, without carving. Rosewood wood hard, fine floating texture, especially its deep color tone, appear both solemn and beautiful.

Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368--1644), rosewood for the royal importance. The development of maritime transportation and Zheng He's seven trips to the West Ocean communicated trade and cultural exchanges with countries in the South Seas. Countries in the regular and irregular trade interactions with China, but also from time to time a certain amount of valuable wood, including rosewood. But this is China's large ruling group, far from meeting the needs of the Ming government and sent officials to the South Seas to buy. Subsequently, private traders also came into being. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, the high quality of timber throughout the South China Sea is also basically logged out. Especially rosewood, almost all were bundled and go. By the end of the Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, the rate of the world's production of rosewood the vast majority of all gathered in China. Rosewood used in the Qing dynasty all for the Ming dynasty, there are historical records, the Qing dynasty has also sent people to the South China Sea to pick rosewood, but most of the coarse not full grip, curved joints are not straight. Simply can not be used. This is because of the slow growth of rosewood, not hundreds of years can not become a material, the Ming Dynasty logging exhausted, the Qing Dynasty has not yet regenerated, the source of exhaustion, which is also an important reason why rosewood for the world's treasured.

Europe and the United States and other Westerners more important to China rosewood, because they have never seen rosewood material, that can only be used for small objects. It is rumored that Napoleon's tomb in front of a five-inch-long rosewood coffin model, visitors are not amazed, thought rare. Until the end of the Ming and early Qing dynasties, the Western missionaries came to China, see many rosewood large apparatus, only to know that rosewood elite in China. So many buy, transported back to China. Now Europe and the United States circulating rosewood objects, basically from China. Due to transportation difficulties, they generally do not buy the whole piece of artifacts, only buy the cabinet door, box surface pattern. After shipping back to install the wooden frame for decoration.

In the mid-Qing Dynasty, due to the shortage of rosewood, the Royal also from time to time from the hands of private traders to buy rosewood at high prices. Qing Palace Office of the work file almost every year in the purchase of rosewood records. During this period, gradually formed an unwritten rule, that is, regardless of which level of officials, as long as you see rosewood, never let go, all as much as bought, submitted to the Royal Family or all over the weaving institutions. After the middle of the Qing dynasty, all the wood hoarded by private merchants were all bought net, the wood, for the decoration of the Yuanmingyuan and the palace of the emperor, with a large number of; Tongzhi, Guangxu wedding and Cixi 60th birthday has been very little left; to Yuan Shikai, so the only remaining rosewood all used up.

In short, belonging to the genus rosewood wood species, but recognized in the botanical world of rosewood but only one, "sandalwood". Commonly known as "small-leaf sandalwood". The real origin is southern India, mainly in Mysore State, the rest of the sandalwood is categorized in the grass rosewood category.

Pearwood

Pearwood colorful, clear and beautiful grain. According to the "museum" records: "pear production cross (i.e. jiaotou, now Vietnam) wide (i.e. guangdong, guangxi) streams, a flower palm tree. Leaves such as pear and no real, wood color red and purple and delicate texture, can do table, chair, utensils, study ware. Gleanings from the Materia Medica: "palm wood out of Annan and the South China Sea, used for beds, like red sandalwood and color red. For the pillow headache. Ming Li Shizhen, "Compendium of Materia Medica," said: "Palm wood, wood nature of the firm, purple-red, there are also patterned, called the flower palm. Can do utensils, fan bone things, commonly known as pear. Mistake". Guangzhou Zhi: "palm tree color purple-red, slightly fragrant, its pattern has if the ghost face, also like civet spots, also known as civet. Older lines fist curved, younger lines straight. The section of flowers round halo such as money, the size of the wrong good. Qiongzhou Zhi" cloud: "pear wood production Yazhou Changhua Lingshui". The Ming dynasty Huang Province had "Western tribute record" contains: "pear wood has two kinds, one for the flower palm, tree, produced in our country all over the south; a Hainan sandalwood, deciduous tree, produced in the South China Sea places. Both can be used for high-level furniture. The book also pointed out that the Hainan sandalwood wood quality than the palm tree is more solid and fine, can be carved. Ming "Gegu Essentials" said: "pear wood out of Nanfan, Guangdong, purple-red, similar to the descending incense, but also incense. Its flowers are as lovely as the ghost face, flower coarse and light color is low. Canton people more for tea and wine marigolds". Hou Kuanzhao in the "Guangzhou Botanical Journal" introduced a sandalwood in Hainan Island is known as rosewood "Hainan sandalwood". Hainan sandalwood is a specialty of Hainan Island, forest plants, like to live in the valley of the shady place. Wood is quite good, sapwood color pale, slightly loose, reddish-brown heartwood, hard. Exquisite and beautiful texture, suitable for carving and furniture.

Modern botanical research has proved that the rosewood is not the same species, as already mentioned, the rosewood species to the rosewood genus species. The palm tree belongs to the pteridophyllum subfamily red bean plants. The traditional understanding of the yellow rosewood belongs to the pteridophyte subfamily yellow sandalwood genus of plants. Rosewood genus of all kinds of grass pear is mainly produced in southeast Asia and China's guangdong, guangxi area. Red bean genus of flower palm wood is mainly produced in the south of China. Yellow sandalwood (both yellow rosewood) only produced in China's Hainan Island that Hou Kuanzhao "Guangzhou botanical journal" introduced the "Hainan sandalwood". Hainan sandalwood also known as Hainan yellow sandalwood, or descending yellow sandalwood, for Hainan island specialties. Will be three different genera of different wood wood collectively referred to as rosewood, obviously not scientific. They should be distinguished.

There is a wood species similar to rosewood, name "musk wood". According to "all the tomatoes": "musk wood out of Chamchung, Chenla, the tree old servant obliterated in the soil and rot. To cook off the top. Its gas vaguely like musk, so it is called musk. If you cut the raw wood to take, the gas is strong and evil, is the next best thing. The spring people more than for the use of the apparatus, such as rosewood and so on.

The world of rosewood also has a new, old points, yellow rosewood is the traditional understanding of the old rosewood, the color from light yellow to purple red, beautiful color, clear texture and fragrance. Ming dynasty more sophisticated furniture is made of old pear wood. New rosebud refers to all kinds of grass rosebud, wood color red and yellow, texture color is worse than the old rosebud. Huanghuali for yellow purple genus, grass pear for rosewood genus, will be confused with the two, obviously is also inappropriate.

Huanghuali

Huanghuali is one of the world's valuable wood species, Hainan Island specialty, heartwood for the famous Chinese medicine - incense, can be used for exhaustion of blood, blood pressure, pressure of the use of shock, it is also known as "incense" and "buckwheat" wood. Therefore, it is also known as "Buckwheat Wood" and "Buckwheat Wood". Guangdong people called "incense wood". 1980 official scientific name for "Hainan incense yellow sandalwood". Folk customarily called "Huanghuali". Early records as "flower palm", is a kind of misunderstanding; Some people call it Hainan sandalwood, is also inaccurate. Hainan sandalwood is a kind of heart sapwood difference is not very obvious species, so can not be compared with the balsam pear. According to the modern plant taxonomy of balsam for legume subfamily Pteridophyllum genus, Hainan incense is the best material in the genus yellow sandalwood wood species. In the yellow sandalwood genus of many species, in addition to the incense yellow sandalwood called "incense wood" (yellow rosewood), other species are included in the sour wood (that is, mahogany) category.

Currently on the market circulation of the so-called "Huanghuali" the vast majority of Vietnam pear, Laos pear, Myanmar pear, Cambodian Puchai pear, etc.. Its color texture and ancient furniture in the huanghuali slightly close, only silk grain is very coarse, wood is not hard, color is not as bright as hainan huanghuali.

Huanghuali is also known as "old pear", the color from light yellow to purple red, beautiful color, clear texture and fragrance. Ming dynasty more sophisticated furniture made of yellow rosewood. Huanghuali wood of these characteristics, in the production of furniture, more than the master craftsmen to use and play, generally use the body light vegetarian, without carving. Thus highlighting the natural beauty of the wood texture, giving people a quiet, soft feelings.

Hainan descending yellow sandalwood mainly grows in the western part of Hainan Island, between the mountains, the wood is heavy, delicate texture, color and beauty. The eastern altitude degree is low, fertile land, faster growth, its tree texture both white and light, and the valley of the self-generated a few things are not the same.