Why is the name rosewood called rosewood? What happened?

The understanding and utilization of rosewood in ancient China began in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. In Jin Cuibao's Notes on Ancient and Modern Times, it is recorded that "rosewood is rich in south and purple in color, also known as rosewood."

Rosewood is a literary name, or a social name, which has nothing to do with science. The name of science is rigorous and irreplaceable, but literature is much more romantic.

People in China always think that purple is an auspicious color. For example, the "purple gas coming from the east" often refers to Laozi's going through customs. When Guanyin Xi saw the purple gas coming from the east, he knew that a saint would come, so he respectfully asked Lao Tzu to write the eternal masterpiece Tao Te Ching. The Forbidden City, formerly known as the Forbidden City, is an old name, because of the purple star wall. This shows the status of purple.

At present, the earliest rosewood records can be found in the 3rd century. Since then, rosewood has been recorded in Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. But whether these rosewood and our dream rosewood are the same kind of wood, no one can say clearly now. One thing is certain, rosewood has always been expensive, ranking first among all trees, and it has been recorded in many ancient books, so rosewood has become Jupiter.

Rosewood is not a tree name, and there is no corresponding tree. So far, academic circles have failed to reach a unified understanding on this issue. Therefore, the charm of rosewood lies in this, full of literary fantasy.

Cognition of redwood

Everyone who is interested in rosewood hopes to become an eye-catching person overnight and will pick it out from the complicated hardwood. But there is a procedural problem. If you don't know anything about the social environment of rosewood, it is really a difficult problem to judge rosewood. The general physical properties of rosewood are: dark color, reddish purple; If the weight is heavy, it will sink when entering the water; High hardness, general strike without leaving traces; The texture is dense and can be cut horizontally and vertically. However, these characteristics are not accurate scientific data, but only the general feeling of experts. Language communication varies from person to person, so does understanding. Therefore, red sandalwood has incorporated all kinds of romantic and magical imagination in the long inheritance.

In the early years of Yongle, Ming Taizu Judy made seven voyages to the West. The mighty fleet is full of silks and satins and rich materials, handing over wealth like rich relatives going to the countryside. China's feudal society despised commerce, and Zheng He didn't take it seriously. He felt that it was particularly bad for rich relatives to bring back local products from the countryside and return empty-handed. But when an empty ship sails at sea, it swings too much in the wind and waves. In order to prevent the ship from capsizing, heavy ballast is needed in the cabin. Rosewood produced in Southeast Asia can be used as ballast.

At this time, rosewood was piled up at the bottom of the cabin without branches and leaves, and was transported to China by mistake. Rosewood was of little use when it first arrived in China. Before the mid-Ming Dynasty, the high-grade furniture of the court and the people were mainly painted furniture, not rosewood. Rosewood must be made into small things first. The color and good physical properties of rosewood are loved by the market and the court, and its status has also climbed. In the late Ming Dynasty, people discovered the solemn and graceful beauty of rosewood and admired it. Then, rosewood, like a new star, stepped onto the historical stage and played the leading role.

The charm of the protagonist determines the vitality of a big drama. Red sandalwood joined the ranks of Ming and Qing furniture and immediately led the fashion, which lasted for 500 years. Once the rosewood with moderate hardness is carefully polished and waxed, it immediately emits a faint and dull light, with a looming texture and dense brown eyes; Touch it with your hands, it's as smooth as satin. Especially after a long time, it forms patina, which is as shiny as metal and very attractive. If there is a carver, rosewood can show the subtleties of decoration incisively and vividly, and those who are fine wear branches, commonly known as crossing the bridge; Thick, round and full, especially the yin and yang of flowers, the muscles and feathers of animals, and the exquisiteness of rosewood carving are beyond the reach of other materials.