Chinese Screens & Chinese Room Dividers

In ancient times chinese silk screens and room dividers, called "pingfeng", were meant to serve as permanent partitions. The practice of making them moveable is a more recent innovation. Chinese folding screens were often placed just after the door or entryway of a large room to prevent passers-by from seeing inside. This derives from the chinese architecture philosophy of "implication", of seductively showing only a little at a time.

Whether mobile or not chinese screens nearly always had painting of decorative land scapes and were usually made of solid, heavy wood hinged on cloth, silk, or leather thongs pulled through close to the panels´ edges. They were tall and very often had up to a dozen painted panels.

Some antique chinese screens dating from the eighth century A.D. still survive today but they are believed to have been first made in the third century B.C. Such screens have wooden frames framed with silk or paper. Silk screens sometimes had embroidery, wood screen panels were sometimes carved, but most screens had paintings or chinese calligraphy. Emperors of China apparently enjoyed having screen furniture with pictures of dragons on them.

Chinese screens can be bought at Stacks and Stacks and Home Decorators .

The story of oriental screens continues with Japanese room dividers.