The Influence Of Patriarchal Clan System On Chinese Furniture

Furniture link with the human closely, and it is an indispensable part of daily life, social customs of an era is bound to affect the use of furniture. There are a large number of records on the furniture specification in the literature, and the using of furniture ritual become an important aspect of the traditional patriarch clan system.In this paper, according to content related the furniture and patriarch clan system in literatures, author has researched on the shape specifications, materials, display, decorative patterns and furniture in use in the ceremony of the state, seats, table, stand, bed, desk and chair which appear on most Chinese furniture. First, this paper has described what patriarch clan system is, and the links and differences between patriarch clan system and rites, pointing out that the patriarch clan system has an indelible impact to the origins of Chinese furniture. Next, the furniture-related rituals and cultural records has been analyzed and summarized by different categories, for the order of the shape of furniture specifications, materials use, display and decorative patterns. It demonstrated that patriarch clan system strictly regulated the design and the use of Chinese furniture during the ancient society, and peaked in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. In the later period of the feudal society, the archaic form of patriarch clan system still rooted in people's traditional values deeply although it is slowly dissolved, and it has a strong influence on Chinese furniture until now.