Wood has been regarded by theChinese as an important material fora wide range of uses since ancienttimes. When making furniture andarticles of daily use, and constructingbuildings and gardens, wood has longbeen the favorite natural material ofthe Chinese people. Wood is aneloquent instructor helping people tounderstand China's ancient civilization.This book tells the story of wood inChina down through the ages.

Chapter 1 Wood, a Favor with Man

 Entrance to the East

 Wooden Houses

 Worship of a Single Log

 Wood as the Foundation

Chapter 2 Carpenters

 Lun Bian and His Carriage

 Master Carpenter Lu Ban

 Carpenters in Folklore

Chapter 3 Traditional Buildings

 The Earliest Use of Wood

 Characteristics of Ancient Buildings

 Timber for Official Buildings

 Structural Carpentry

 Folk Arts and Crafts

Chapter 4 Visits to Palaces

 Epang and Weiyang Palaces

 A Glimpse of Major Palaces

 Traditional Roofs

 Height, Colors and Grades

 Big Trees

Chapter 5 Memories of Quadrangular Residential Compounds

 Quadrangular Residential Compounds and Hutong

 Under the Same Roof

 Patriarchal Clan Rules and the Clan System

 Retrogressing Individuals

Chapter 6 The Mean in the Wood

 Doctrine of the Mean

 Happiness of the Rational

 Chinese Buddhism

 The Taoist Spirit

Chapter 7 The Corbel Bracket as an Example

 Oriental Structure

 The Main Beam

 Dismembering of Corbel Bracket

Chapter 8 The Arc of the East

 Perfection of the Facade

 Man as an Integral Part of Nature

 Primitive Forms of Worship

 Graceful Curves

Chapter 9 Garden Aesthetics

 Strolling in Garden

 Garden of the Creator

 Borrowing Scenes

 Wangchuan Garden

Chapter 10 Furniture of the East

 Looking for Sandalwood

 Grains and Painting

 Mortise and Tenon Joints

 Furniture of Ming and Qing Dynasties

Chapter 11 Chopsticks as the Fulcrum

 Lengthened Fingers

 Chopsticks vs. Knife and Fork

 Taboos and Superstition

Chapter 12 The Final Lodging

 Mystery of Cliff Coffins

 Outlook on Death in the East

Chapter 13 Wood Artistry

 Wood Carving

 Legend of the Pear Garden

 Traditional Musical Instruments

Chapter 14 Vessels on the Sea

 Sail on a Raft

 Zheng He's Voyages to the West

 Maritime Exclusion

Chapter 15 Eternal Fields

 Living in the Fields

 Return to Han and Tang Dynasties

 The Laws of Nature

Appendix: Reference Books