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 Sedan
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Chinese Sedan Chair
Sedan Chairs were originally called Jiaoyu (shoulder carriage) in
Chinese, and as time went by, people began to call this shoulder carriage
jiaozi. Before the introduction of automobiles into China, sedan chairs
were a popular and main means of transportation. They were made of
bamboo or wood, square in shape and curtained on four sides. Usually
it has poles for two, four or eight manservants to shoulder. Originally
sedan chairs were used for crossing of mountains and rivers but later
they were used for all travel.
In old times, sedan chairs designed varied to accommodate different
social status and occasions. The sedan chairs used by common people
were called minjiao (civil sedan), by notes or high-ranking officials,
ganjiao (official sedan). While minjiao were plain, the guanjiao were
elaborately decorated and ornamented. The higher the rank of the official,
the more luxurious his sedan and the larger the number of men needed
to carry it. But usually the number of bearers was not no more than
eight except for the emperor.
In the past, people usually used decorated-all-in-red bridal sedan
chairs for weddings. On the wedding day, the groom, bringing gifts,
would lead the procession. After the groom greeted his future in-law,
the bride would ascend the first sedan chair in front and the groom
would take the one behind hers. Amid drums and gongs, the couple would
then leave for their new home. Even poor families would try to hire
a red sedan chair and a band for wedding procession. Although, today
sedan chairs are no longer in use, the Chinese language still uses
the expression " to sit in a bridal sedan chair" to refer
to a wedding ceremony.
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