Ancient Chinese furniture has a fine reputation in modern China and the West alike, Chinese ancient furniture features profound cultural facts and superb craftsmanship. The furniture was mostly made from precious wood, in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1616-1911) dynasties. Traditional Chinese furniture craftsmanship did not reach its zenith until the Ming Dynasty. the demand for fine furniture, the ample supply of wood and the highly developed tenon-mortise technology all facilitated the success of the Ming furniture. Precious timber such as mahogany, sandalwood, rose wood , could be more easily obtained from southern China and Southeast Asia. Ming furniture is known for its simplicity with sparse lines and little decoration .Craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty used the succinct language of art to express their inner feelings, and combined ingeniously with the beauty of simplicity and quietness. While Qing furniture emphasizes detail and extravagance and gaudiness and sumptuousness were a basic features of Qing furniture which was usually heavy and sizable, featuring exquisitely carved patterns. Some pieces were carved from head to foot and had inlays of stone, mother-of-pearl, porcelain, metal, and enamel. Chinese furniture was usually lacquered red or black and then painted, and often carved and sometimes inlaid with other materials such as precious stones. Furniture from southern China tends to be very elaborate whereas northern furniture is big, heavy and grand.

    The price of Chinese furniture has rocketed in the past few years, most markedly in 1985-6. The market has settled somewhat since then, but prices remain high and fine pieces are naturally harder to find than before. Chinese traditional furniture has a strong aesthetic appeal due to its apparently simple lines and the fact that it makes use of "natural materials" . Chinese furniture has reached a high level of aesthetic success and can even claim a place in the history of world furniture.