If we did not have "things" we wouldn't desire chests and cabinets. Case furniture of which chests and cupboards are but a sub-set, have been around in China for hundreds of years. Some quite sophisticated and beautifully built cupboards were made during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Nowadays a lot of the designs first created during those very early years of cabinet making are being produced. - antique storage trunk
Chinese chests and cupboards were made of very fine woods, which are almost extinct in China now. Primary among those wood kinds are Huanghuali and Zitan. Huanghuali is grown in other elements of Asia, but the wood grain is somewhat different from that used in the Ming era.
Added designs of Chinese chests and cupboards were created during years subsequent to Ming. Some were greatly ornamented; others retained the classical simplicity of furniture that is earlier. Cupboards ranged in size in the very large compound cabinets to substantially smaller chests readily managed by one person.
Glorious building techniques by the Ming age craftsmen are passed down from one generation to the next to the present day. Hence dating Chinese chests and cupboards is an incredibly catchy science. The top gauge of age is the wear that one finds. Chinese furniture, until quite lately, hasn't had a prevalent fan club . Antiques were frequently considered confined to paintings, ivory, and jade. Furniture tended to bring up the rear in the panoply of prized items. Furniture was built to be used, and used it's been. Signs of wear in the finish, rot in broken components, the legs and hinges are useful indexes old.
The "as found" state of chests and cabinets in addition to other furniture things such as chairs, tables and beds create a restoration dilemma. Frequently chests and cabinets in "as found" condition have no place in today's house. Honestly, they may no longer be usable, and you'll find very few individuals who actually like to furnish their homes in the "buy it ratty and leave it alone" school of interior design. Ordinarily collectors--particularly of classical furniture--want their pieces to resemble as much as you can, the utility and finish that improves not detracts from your original layout. Just how much restoration is acceptable?
This kind of question is answerable only in the eye of the ultimate user. A Ming age cupboard in one of many first prized woods for example huanghuali, would be considered desirable if door hinges were replaced. If the entire door was replaced it might be looked at considerably less desired. Back legs may be replaced, but probably not the whole cupboard top.
How regarding the country furniture? What restoration is satisfactory there? Clearly there are similar concerns as with classical chests or cabinets. But, the nation furniture is not used from the perspective of preservation in ideal conditions. There are really no hardwood floors in most houses in China. Moisture seeps up through the legs of furniture causing rot. Often there is no central heating, and the furniture is subjected to important climatic variations. So what about restoration of state chests and cabinets? My very personal answer is the fact that I always prefer preservation to desecration. How much better it is than to consign it to the burn pile to make a classic piece beautiful and usable once again? - antique storage trunk