Abacus Screen

This Abacus Screen is a House of Suzie Wong original design. Made from recovered elm wood with jadeite discs and beads, this screen is suitable for use as a room divider. The beads are fully movable along the wooden rods.

Height : 6ft 2in / 1.88m
Length: 5ft 10in / 1.78m
Width (at base): 18in / 0.46m

This unique screen is available at our showroom for
RM 15,800

Urban Sanctuary - Furniture exhibition in Starhill Gallery

See the full gallery on Posterous

We took part in this furniture exhibition along with several other furniture and home accessories brands in Starhill Gallery during June.

Talk on Chinese and Tibetan antique furniture in the modern home, Saturday 11th June 5.30pm

Chinese New Year Greetings

best wishes from all of us at House of Suzie Wong, we hope you will visit us again soon in the Year of the Rabbit!

Recommended Reading: Origins of Chinese Opera

SBN : 978-981-229-525-5

Compiled by : Lim SK

Illustrated by : Fu Chunjiang

Translated by : Li En

Dimension : 150 x 210 mm

Page Number : 160 pages

Unit : each

Price : S$ 9.00  Chinese opera is one of the world’s oldest dramatic forms and a well-loved treasure of Chinese culture. The art is a wonderful combination of dance, music, literature, poetry, singing and dialogue, acrobatics and martial arts to create a unique form of acting which includes “singing, speaking, acting and acrobatic fighting”. Find out more fascinating details about Chinese opera: * Why is the clown mask so colourful? * Who is the “big painted face”? * What does it signify when an opera performer stands on the table? Origins of Chinese Opera is definitely an eye-catching book complete with pictures and comics vividly portraying various opera genres popular in China.

via asiapacbooks.com

This book presents an illustrated and accessible overview of Chinese Opera. Although it appears to be intended for young readers, the book contains a wealth of information for the adult opera enthusiast.

Framed Jade - 20% off till Chinese New Year.

Our beautiful framed jade is now at a 20% discount till Chinese New Year. Each piece is jade is carved in the shape of a buddha, flower, lotus, leaves, snow-lions, ducks, butterflies. Prices range from RM150 to RM12,800.

Offer ends Feb 4th.

Happy New Year!

To all our friends and customers, best wishes for 2011, and we hope to see you again soon!

from Susanna, Kenneth and Amy.

November Offer

This dressing table from Shanghai has a distinctly European style with cabriole legs. It has a large central mirror with two folding wing mirrors mounted atop a chest of drawers. This pieces is between 70 to 80 years old

It is on offer at half price for the month of November, 2010.

Recommended Reading - Chinese Houses of Southeast Asia

This gorgeous book presents 36 houses across Southeast Asia and China, built by immigrant Chinese between the late 18th and early 20th century.

The first part of the book gives an overview of the situation of that period, describing living conditions, trade links and social attitudes in China and Southeast Asia, giving the context in which these homes were built.

Each house is given a short chapter of its own, with a brief history and description of its owners, and the house itself, including construction details with accompanying photographs.

One chapter is devoted to the archetypical Singapore shophouse / terrace house.

The last section of the book describes 4 homes in China built by returning Chinese in their ancestral villages for their retirement.

What I thought was interesting;

• All of the homes have been restored, to varying degrees of authenticity for the period in which they were built
• Most of the homes appear to have converted into museums or for commercial use, particularly the ones in Singapore and Malaysia.
• The very ornate and opulent furniture displayed in many of the houses.

This is a perfect coffee-table book, which has something for both the quick browser, and for the studious enthusiast.

Chinese Houses of Southeast Asia: The Eclectic Architecture of Sojourners and Settlers

Small altar

This small altar is made of walnut wood, with 4 drawers. When we found it, it was being used by an 8-year old boy to sit on while tying his shoelaces. Circa 1910.

this unique piece is available at our showroom for

RM 5800
SOLD

Bamboo and bone Mahjong tiles

This set of mahjong tiles is made from bamboo and bone (see how it's made). Players used to modern plastic tiles may find these tiles a tad small, but they make up for this by being infinitely more aesthetically appealing.

This Mahjong set is available at our showroom for

RM 480
SOLD

Small cabinet with inlaid bone design

This low cabinet from Ningbo in South China is about 80 years old. The front is decorated with inlaid bone in floral designs. The cabinet has two drawers, and two doors open to the lower compartment which has a shelf.

This cabinet is available at our showroom for

RM 1980.

Glitter & Silk

Glitter & Silk is an exhibition of Chinese opera costumes from the 1950s and 60s. The costumes are based on Ming dynasty palace clothing, and are either heavily sequinned or finely embroidered, all with beautiful workmanship. The exhibition is at MUSE Floor, Starhill Gallery till 8th March 2010.

__________________________
The exhibition has now been extended till 2nd May, so do drop by to see it.

Glitter & Silk Facebook page

Treasures of the Deep

During October, we held the exhibition Treasures of the Deep, which was comprised of underwater-themed paintings by Susanna Goho-Quek, underwater photos of corals and fish by Rizal Adnan, coral and pearl jewellery by House of Bidadari, and Chinese porcelain recovered from sunken ships by Nanhai Marine Archaeology.

More information on our Facebook page for the exhibition.

Selamat Hari Raya!

Summer Special 2

Enjoy a 70% discount on special selected cabinets, with a 50% discount on many other items. Take advantage of our offer to add a unique piece of furniture to your home.

Offer ends 30th September

Bound Foot Shoe Talk

This short clip on Youtube was taken last year. We are happy to organise a talk for a group of ten to fifteen people anytime.

Summer Specials 1

Spend RM3000 at House of Suzie Wong, and get a unique framed wood etching of your family name in Chinese characters, carved by master craftsman Lum Ah Fu. The etching is 12" x 13" on strips of nyatoh wood.

Until 30th September 2009

Photo - carpet rolls

Recommended Reading - Chinese Rugs

'Chinese Rugs - A Buyer's Guide' by Lee Allane is a great introduction to the world of Chinese carpets. It begins with a concise history lesson of China, its trade and language, then explains how the rugs are made, with a thorough glossary.

The author gives guidelines for selecting and buying the carpets and also some tips on the care of carpets before delving into the meaning and designs woven into the carpets.

This is a great book for beginning enthusiasts.

Chinese Rugs: A Buyer's Guide

Carpet - Cat and Peony

This pictorial rug features a cat and a butterfly surrounded by a pine tree and peony flowers with a stream in the foreground.

There is a Chinese superstition that cats are protectors of silkworms; possibly this is because rats destroy silkworms, but cats keep rats away. Cats are also thought to dispel evil spirits due to their good eyesight in the dark.

The butterfly symbolizes joy, the summer, as well as conjugal happiness.

The evergreen pine tree is a symbol of longevity. From its ability to survive the cold winter, it is also a symbol of steadfastness.

The peony flower represents love and affection; it is also an emblem of feminine beauty and the spring.

Baotou, 80 years, 1.57m x 0.87m

RM 6,800

Carpet - Two Cranes

This pictorial rug in different shades of brown depicts a pair of cranes, one holding a lingzhi in its beak, with a pine tree in the background.

Of the many symbols of longevity, the crane is one of the most common. It is often depicted with a pine tree, another common symbol of longevity.

The lingzhi is another symbol of longevity, here it is in the shape of a ruyi, which further symbolizes the realization of your heart’s desires.

This rug was found being used as a wrapping for stones in a wheelbarrow, to prevent the stones from knocking into each other while being transported.

Hebei, 150 years, 1.40m x 0.77m

RM 1,800

Carpet - Five Snow Lions

This pink rug is depicted with a large purple snow lion in the centre,
with smaller lions at each corner. Only the top and bottom edges have
a loosely defined border of a central stylized flower with attached
streamers.
Snow lions are often depicted, as here, in a harmonious pairing of
male and female. When symmetrically depicted, the male is on the left
and the female on the right.
At the top border, the flower is stylized as an endless knot. The
endless knot symbolizes a long life that is not hindered by any
obstacles.
The flower in the bottom border is a stylized chrysanthemum. This
flower symbolizes mid-autumn.
Hebei, 180 years, 1.44m x 0.74m
RM 8,800

Carpet - Two Snow Lions

This rug features two snow lions around a central medallion, set within an intricate geometric border.

The snow lions here are depicted playing with a ball. According to Chinese legend, female snow lions produce milk from their paws, and leaving hollow balls for the snow lions to play with would consequently allow the milk to be collected within the balls. The balls are often depicted with silk streamers attached.

In the four corners of the brown field are scrolled leaves and flowers in the stylized form of a bat, pianfu, which is a symbol of prosperity.

The border design is composed of stylized half-flowers, squares and lines and swastikas, with 6 large stylized flowers interspersed along the border. The Buddhist swastika is a symbol of longevity and infinity.

Tibet, 100 years, 1.20m x 0.67m

RM 2,400

Carpet - Phoenix on a wutong tree

This deep blue rug depicts a resplendent phoenix set before a wutong tree and a Peony flower, in a pictorial design.

The Chinese phoenix or fenghuang is a symbol of high virtue and grace, appearing only when reason prevails in the country, hiding itself at other times; two are never seen at once. It is a benevolent creature that feeds only on bamboo seeds and quenches its thirst only at the sweet fountains.

The wutong tree is famous in legend for being the only species of tree on which the phoenix will alight. It is considered a symbol of the female element, the opposite of the bamboo, which symbolizes the male element. A reason for this distinction may be that the wutong forms knots inwardly while knots on the bamboo grow on the outside: 'inward' is a female characteristic, 'outward' is male.

The peony or mudanhua is known as the 'Queen of Flowers' and it symbolizes wealth and distinction, as well as love, affection and feminine beauty. The peony is also one of the four flowers representing the four seasons; it is the symbol of spring.

Suiyuan, 120 years, 1.48m x 0.84m

RM 2,800

Chinese and Tibetan Carpet Exhibition

Come and view our selection of Chinese carpets, the exhibition is on from 11th July till 31st August. I will be posting some more detailed pictures and information about some of the carpets shortly.