Huanghuali Furniture

Chinese Huanghuali furniture is extremely rare and highly coveted, and refers to all furniture made from the yellowish-red wood of the Huanghuali tree. Huanghuali is a type of rosewood originally referred to as “huali." “Huang," meaning “yellow," refers to the yellowish tone that is adopted by the wood after prolonged exposure to sunlight. Huanghuali wood furniture is not only distinctive by the beautiful color, but also by the sweet aroma.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties in Chinese history, the royal family and elite commissioned furniture in this beautiful variety of rosewood. Huanghuali furniture generally went un-lacquered and had very minimal surface designs in order to showcase the exquisitely translucent and shimmering wood grains.

Due to its popularity, however, the slow-growing Huanghuali tree now hangs on the brink of extinction and the creation of furniture from its wood is now forbidden. As a result, the demand and competition for the scarce existing items has skyrocketed.

Quick Facts

• The word “huang” has only been added to Huanghuali within the early 20th century
• Huanghuali wood is only found in Southern China, on the island of Hainan, though similar species are found around the South China Sea area
• While the surface of Huanghuali wood largely went unaltered, often the intricate wood grains created images of their own. Some seemed decoratively abstract, while others formed what appears to be figurative images and “ghost faces”