ZITAN: Purple Wood

Zitan Snack Box
A Pair of Zitan Book Shelves with Huanghuali inlay.

"Zi" means purple in Chinese. Some facts about Zitan:

• Very dense wood.
• Slow growing tree
  
• Takes 100 years to grow 6 inches
  
• Trunk is often twisted so it is very difficult to find large panels
  
• According to ancient Chinese text, this wood is often reserved for the palaces or upper class.
  
• Real collectors of Chinese furniture will only consider Zitan or Huanghuali
  
• Origins: Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam and South of China
• Very popular during the Qing Dynasty

Because it is such a hard wood, Zitan is extremely difficult to carve. Only the best craftsmen can work on them. Qian Long, a very powerful emperor during the Qing Dynasty (18th C.), known for his fine taste in art, only used the best craftmen to work on Zitan. Since Zitan was rare sue to its long growth period, the Emperor ordered all the Zitan available then and kept it in the imperial warehouse.