床的历史及其文化解读——(二)中国部分

The History of Bed and Its Cultural Interpretation——(Second Part:China)

床是人类用来实现睡眠的一种器具。人类从出生到死亡,最重要的生命活动都与床密切相关。与人类创造的其他器具一样,床是人类文化中的一部分,与生俱来地拥有各地文明的文化基因。自古至今,中国人的起居方式可分为席地而坐和垂足而坐两大时期。席地而坐,包括跪坐,都以席和床为起居中心。到了宋代,人们的起居已不再以床为中心。至明代,中国的床已有榻、罗汉床、架子床这三种成熟的门类。中国家具(包括床)的文化内核隐藏在中国传统主流文化和中国民俗文化之中,生动地体现了中华民族的民族精神。

Bed is a piece of furniture which is used as a place to sleep or relax.The most life activities are bound up with the bed from the birth to death in the life of people.Bed is a part of humankind culture as well as other implements created by people,which have the cultural gene inherited in their civilizations.The history of Chinese furniture has been marked by the gradual change from low piece to piece of height to which we are accustomed today.By the Song dynasty（960 ~ 1127）,all kinds of high furniture became prevalent and the craftsmanship led to much more improvement.In the Ming dynasty,Chinese beds had mature category of the beds：a bed with a flat surface are called ta,a bed with a back and sides are called luohanchuang,a bed with poles,railings,and a canopy are called jiazichuang.There is a unique system in the Chinese traditional furniture（including beds）whose gene hidden in the Chinese main-stream culture and the Chinese folk-custom culture,and could be a vivid reflection of the Chinese national spirits.