CHINESE BRIDAL SEDAN CHAIR

This beautiful Chinese Bridal Sedan chair was placed outside the hall leading to the function rooms of the Grand Lexis Hotel in Port Dickson.
Here is some info about the Chinese sedan chair.


As one of the main vehicles of ancient times, the sedan chair is often featured in movies about old China. But its function is not limited to transport: The sedan is linked with one of the important ceremonies in life -- marriage.

Sedans in China

According to legend, the sedan first appeared in China during the reign of the Yu Emperor in the Xia Dynasty (2100-1600BC). Boasting a long history, the Chinese sedan has survived and developed throughout the dynasties. But for the common people, the most familiar type of sedan is the one used during wedding ceremonies. Finances allowing, the sedan has always been the preferred prop at weddings in the past.

In feudal China, re-married widows could only go to their husbands in the evenings and were generally not seen in sedans. Concubines also rarely enjoyed the privilege of sitting in sedan chairs - even in marriage. At best, they were seen in black sedans only. The honor of sitting in a sedan was a great source of pride for women. Even today, the saying "I was carried here in a colorful sedan chair by eight people" is still used to suggest the speaker is genuine (like original wife who rode the colorful sedan).

There are generally two types of sedans: the "hard cover" and "soft cover" chair. The former is a completely wooden structure shaped like a rectangle with a pagoda-like cover on top adorned with standing phoenixes. Pictures of the dragon, kylin, phoenix and other figures from Chinese mythology are often painted on the surrounding four sides. The "soft cover," chair-like sedan is enclosed with colored silk of various embroideries.LINK