Tables & Plant Stands
Tables in China are widely used in various ways. A frequently found form is called the wine table. Relatively short in length, it functions very well as a bar table or a table to grace a hall entry. Altar tables with their curved upper ends are also used as hall tables. In China the altar table would often be placed below an ancestral portrait, and might also hold a shrine. Painting tables - now relatively hard to find - were used for calligraphy. A utilitarian square table (often called the Baxian table) makes a good dining table for four or a card table.
Plant stands are highly decorative - some have a small drawer - others are of a simpler construction. Graceful in appearance, they are also sometimes used to hold a lamp.