Developments toward high seating were influenced by foreign customs and the migration of Buddhism. Low platforms were another early form of raised seating furniture
which were used as honorific seats by high officials and religious dignitaries during ceremonial and sacrificial rites.
During the transitional period—from mat to chair—kneeling and cross-legged positions upon the seating platforms was common. Additionally, the raised platform also began to function as a large,
medium-height table for dining.
During the late Ming and early Qing periods, furniture of a minimal classical style was abundantly produced in durable tropical hardwoods after a ban on imports was lifted in 1567. The use of
these hard, dense woods spawned advancements in joinery techniques permitting the creation open, elegant forms previously unattainable in softer woods. This popularity of this furniture, which often reflected the
restrained, elegant tastes of the scholar official's class, also spread through the rising nouveau-riche merchant class. |
