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Beside the round-backed armchair let's have a brief view on some other most common traditional Chinese chair styles and their use with characteristics.

Official Chair:

Another popular chair is official hat chair. It's named since Song dynasty. It's top back looks like Song dynasty's official's hat. The 2 top ends are extended.

South Official Chair:

Later another kind of chair like official chair appeared. There's no extention but with 4 round edges. It's called south official chair. There's no evidence to prove that it's started from China south. But generally it came behind of official chair.

Rose Chair:

Rose is a kind of flower. So it's not named by the chair's shape like others. It's the most shortest one among all chairs. It's generally not higher than the windowsill to let the light in from outside.

Prime Minister Chair

It firstly means round-backed armchair in Song dynasty. But later to Qing dynasty and now all hard wood quality armchairs are generally called prime minister chair. The name comes from a story which is recorded in Song dynasty's book.

There's a person called Wu yuan in Song dynasty. He's curry favored person. One day he noticed that prime minister Qinhui's head bandana fallen down from the round-backed chair to the ground. He then pick it up and back home asking his craftsmen to design a kind of chair with a lotus leaf shape extention added to the top of the back. Hence you can put your head on it comfortably. View the attached picture.(The extention is inside a red circle on the picture).

• Missed a opportunity to own a pair of sandalwood prime minister armchair.

Many years ago Mr. Ma heard a news that there's a person want to sell a pair of sandalwood price mister chair inherited from his ancestor to pay debt and asked for RMB2,300. One of his friend accompany him to buy. Before they start his friend asked him to take only RMB2000. He might think it's enough for the chairs. And he knows Mr. Ma's character. If ma like the items he would pay all he has in his pocket.

They got to the house at a Chinese New Year's Eve. The door is locked and they didn't have mobile at that time to contact. They had to wait at the cold wind. In about half an hour the owner of the house ran back. Unlike other sellers who would offer a cup of tea and do greetings first. He pointed the chair directly and said that's what he wanted to sell. Mr. Ma asked him why he's in such a hurry. The young replied that I'm even afraid of getting back home to hide the renter. Mr. Ma noticed that it's really a good pair of sandalwood prime minister armchair. He like it very much and offer RMB2,000. The young man couldn't accept. Ma's friend whispered “Let go and he'll call us back to sell at RMB2,000. And they left the house wishing the young man would follow them saying “I'll sell you at RMB2,000.” But it didn't happen. It's really a pair of rare piece.

He then came many times after that day. But the door was always locked and he couldn't find the young man anymore. Now once Mr. Ma remember this experience he feels very regretted and miserable for missing the good opportunity to collect them.

• Succeeded to collect a pair of Buddhist chairs

Buddhist chair is not popular chair hence many people don't know it's use and character.