- Photographs provided by Great Wall Antique

Beginning October 26, 2001 and lasting through the New Year until February 24, 2002, the "Room within a Room" exhibition will explore the meaning of various bedchamber furnishings and decorative motifs. Some messages found in bedroom trappings include wishes for children, good health, prosperity, blessings for the family, and the birth of a noble child. In Chinese households, the bed was an important piece of furniture, as a lady would entertain friends, work on crafts, and look after her children there. A canopy bed with its curtains drawn was certainly a room within its own room.

There will be three sub-galleries to the exhibition. One will include a wedding room with a canopy bed and places for tables, chairs, and chamber pots. Another will look at the works of those that could read and write- an exploration of the scholar's life through poetry. The third gallery will present a view of the ordinary husband-and-wife household including a sewing basket, baby cradle, chamber pot, bathtub, and table with an oil lamp- a peek into everyday life. Also on display will be an array of Chinese folk pillows.

The exhibition will be directed by guest curator Sally Yu Leung, a longtime docent for the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Ms. Leung will further provide slide lectures in both Chinese and English regarding the nature of the exhibit.