Elm wood is tough, clear in texture, moderate in hardness and strength, suitable for general relief carvings, smooth in plane, beautiful in chord patterns, and "chicken-winged wood" patterns, which can be used for furniture and decoration. After drying, modeling, carving, polishing and painting, elm can be made into exquisite carved lacquer crafts. It can be seen everywhere in the furniture market in the north.
Elms and beeches produced in the south are called "beeches in the north". Moreover, the width of wood is large, the texture is moist and excellent, the deformation rate is small, and the carved patterns are mostly rough. This is a great man and a gentleman. Elm can be divided into yellow elm and purple elm. Elm is more common, and the wood is pale yellow when it is newly cut, and its color gradually deepens with the growth of tree age; Purple elm is naturally dark purple, and the color of heavy elm is similar to that of old mahogany. So the biggest furniture in the north is elm, waxed and painted. Elm is made of other materials, and traces of elm furniture can be seen at any time in Shanxi, Shandong, Hebei, Henan and other ancient furniture provinces. The production time span of elm furniture is very long, and it never stopped from the beginning of Ming Dynasty to the end of Qing Dynasty, and its evolution process and regional characteristics are very clear. Early elm furniture was mainly dedicated to furniture, such as tables and cases, which looked like Gu Zhuo and were mostly displayed in temples, family shrines and other places, so it can be preserved to this day. There is a wooden basin carved from elm, without paint or decoration. After long-term touch and air oxidation, the patina is bright and dazzling, and the wood grain is old and vigorous. A century-old relic, intact, caresses the heart like a crisp, as if touching the face of the vicissitudes of time.
You can also collect white wood, which refers to elm in Ming Dynasty and nanmu in Qing Dynasty. However, due to the beautiful natural grain, tough texture, tall and straight grain, and the unique simple and natural color and charm of elm, it is in line with the concept of being a man respected by the ancients. Therefore, from ancient times to the present, elm is very popular, and it is the first choice for making furniture from dignitaries, literati and Li people.
As far as its history is concerned, since the furniture age, there has been elm furniture. Elm furniture represents not only a tradition, but also a culture, a taste and a style. Therefore, elm furniture is gradually collected and loved by more and more people. Therefore, the collection of elm furniture must start from the craft, the carver should be delicate and the lines should be smooth; It depends not only on whether the appearance is complete and beautiful, but also on whether the workmanship is fine and perfect. For example, the production of table utensils is generally very fine, and its value is even higher than that of a large piece of furniture.
Collectors see whether it can preserve its value, mainly considering the following points:
The shape of beautiful furniture, whether complex or simple, depends on whether it looks good or not. (2) the material is excellent, and the log material can be preserved for a long time, so that the more you use it, the more moist it is. (3) Exquisite workmanship, elegance, handsomeness and elegance, and good aesthetic intention. Of course, it is also valuable to get a batch of classical elm furniture with good carving and complete appearance. Even so, if you can have one or two pieces of elm furniture, it will be enough to decorate the room and shine. Yushu three brothers
Age: 450 years old
This tree is located in Xitun, Sishe Temple, Guanghui Village, Wanshun Township, Nong 'an County, Jilin Province. Tree height 15m, DBH 170cm, and crown area of 230m2. The trunk is low and the three main branches are connected together. One is up, the other is lying, and the tree is very elegant.
Legend has it that many years ago, there was a rich man who had three sons. When they grow up, their father wants to separate their families, but the three sons say nothing. They say that life will flourish only if we unite and work together with Qi Xin. Father was very happy to hear that. Later, their lives really got better and better. They were buried together after their death, and then the conjoined tree grew up, indicating that the three brothers have been United for generations.
Gubao Yushu
In today's Ganjing Town, Yongshou County, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province, the height of the tree is nearly 20 meters, the thickness of the tree is 6.7 1 meter, and the trunk is thick, which can only surround 7 people. The canopy covers an area of 242 square meters. The crown of the tree is majestic and tall, and the roots of the tree protrude from the ground and are intertwined, just like a dragon lying on the ground.
What's even more amazing is that the skin of the tree looks like a leopard pattern, and the discoloration of the four seasons is very rare. The age of this tree is 1600 years. There are only four trees in China, which are called living fossils in the forest by experts. Elm money, China folk have the habit of eating elm money, and elm money is the seed of elm.
The Story of "Elm Money"
According to legend, a long time ago, in a small village near the Songhua River in the northeast, there lived a pair of kind farmers. The old couple only make a living by planting a few acres of thin land. Although life is hard, the old couple are very kind. When they are in trouble, they always give money to help others. They are well-known good people.
One day, the farmer went out to collect firewood and saw an old man in rags lying on the road. The farmer moved his heart and carried the old man home. Seeing that the old man was starving, his wife quickly cooked the only bowl of rice at home into porridge for the old man. When the old man was full and refreshed, he looked at the farmer's home and sighed and said, "You only gave me a little rice after such a hard life. I really don't know how to thank you. " "You're welcome," said the peasant woman. The poor in the world are a family. If the family doesn't help, who else can help? " . The old man was very moved by this woman's words. He took a seed out of his pocket and handed it to the woman. He said, "This is the seed of elm. Plant it in the yard. When it grows into a big tree, if you are in trouble and need money, just shake the tree and it will lose money. Remember not to be greedy. " The old elm man said that and left.
The farmer planted the seeds in the yard, and sure enough, a tree grew. The old couple waited on them carefully, watering, weeding and fertilizing them. A few years later, they grew into towering trees, and even more strangely, there were strings of copper coins on the trees. Despite this tree, the old couple still make a living by farming, and only when they encounter great difficulties or help others will they sway a few copper coins under the tree. The news spread quickly and was known by a landlord bully in the village. He came to the farmer's house with his thugs, drove the farmer out and occupied the tree.
The old landlord came to the tree and saw a string of copper coins on it. He shook the tree and the copper coins on the tree fell like raindrops. The landlord shook the tree and shouted with a smile, "I'm rich, I'm rich." The landlord wandered from morning till noon, and finally the landlord and his thugs were buried by copper coins and crushed to death. Since then, the tree has never lost money.
The next year, there was a drought, and nothing grew in the field. The villagers were starving to death. Several naughty children in the village came to play under the tree and saw a string of green things on it. The children were curious, so they climbed the tree and saw a string of green things like copper coins. They couldn't help picking a few pieces and putting them in their mouths. They are slightly sweet and delicious, and the children are happy to tell the adults. Hungry villagers came to the tree one after another and ate the green thing. Strangely, people are not hungry after eating, but full of energy. The whole village spent the famine years in this tree.
Later, in order to commemorate the tree that once saved the lives of the whole village, the villagers gave her a nice name "Elm Money" because she looked like a bunch of money. In this way, "elm money" has become the seed of elm, which floats with the wind and takes root, blossoms and bears fruit wherever it falls. A few years later, elms grew around the village.
From then on, whenever there was a famine, people ate elm money to satisfy their hunger. There is a strange tree in this village. Slowly, villagers from far and near moved here to live, and it became a big village. People call this village Yushu Village. With the increasing population, the scale of the village is getting bigger and bigger, and it has become Yushu County until now Yushu City.