Most antique Chinese furniture shops in the city are in fact storehouses containing many items in disarray. Jiya is one such store which houses over 1,000 pieces of furniture in a shop that covers 3,000 square metres.

Every piece in the Jiya store has a price tag. A large late Qing Dynasty style cupboard is priced 2,000 to 3,000 yuan ($240 to $360). Buyers can reduce the price by about 10 or 20 per cent through bargaining.

"Our net profit is 30 per cent," Li Haisheng said. "We never hide the price tag and we never overcharge rich people or foreigners."

Li, co-owner of Jiya, has been in the old Chinese furniture trade since the early 1990s. He sends his employees to neighbouring and faraway provinces to collect furniture.

"Every month I myself go out two or three times to collect old furniture and artifacts," said Li. "I have personally screened every piece in the shop."

Much traditional Chinese furniture was painted dark red to make it look important and heavy. Li sands down pieces which look too cold with this coating to reveal the wood's natural colour and grain.

Li said some customers like the original, "untouched" heavy colours of the old furniture, while others prefer the lighter effect of natural wood.

Old furniture in a modern home

Well-chosen oriental furniture can be the perfect match for the simple and light colours of modern sofas, walls and cushions.

Most Ming and Qing dynasty chairs, tables and cupboards can be used rather than just being decorative. An elegant Chinese chair or table among Western furniture is sure to spark interest among guests who come over.

An essential item of furniture in a modern home is a coffee table placed in front of a big, comfy sofa. In the West, people often just put a heavy wooden chest in front of the sofa which serves the purpose of a coffee table. Some even use a Chinese drum.

A traditional Chinese carved wood window placed on the table and covered with glass can also look great. Then you can enjoy the window's fine fretwork every time you drink coffee or tea.

Originally, traditional Chinese furniture had many uses.

A story of furniture

An elegant Chinese pingfeng or screen, for example, was not a purely decorative piece of furniture in an old Chinese home. The screen, which would always be solid enough not to be seen through, would double as a thing of beauty and a hiding place.

In feudal China, the unmarried young woman of a rich family was not supposed to see or be seen by men other than her father, brothers or very close male cousins.

When a potential suitor paid a visit, however, the daughter of the house might take a peek at him from a screen behind which she would be completely concealed.

Her father would discuss literature with the young man and ask him to compose an impromptu poem. If the composition of the poem - and the man's good looks - impressed the young woman and her father, she might agree to take him as a husband.

In a large sitting room or bedroom you can use such a pingfeng to divide the space. Old fretwork wooden windows can also be put together to form a screen.

Ming furniture is known for its simplicity with sparse lines and little decoration while Qing furniture emphasizes detail and extravagance. Furniture from southern China tends to be very elaborate, while northern furniture is big, heavy and grand.

From such a variety of styles you are sure to find something to suit your home.

Shanghai Jiya Old Chinese Furniture Shop

No 899 Hu-qing-ping Highway

Tel: 6479-1051