In traditional Chinese design, central symmetry is more than a visual principle — it is a quiet metaphor for order: the balance between heaven and earth, the harmony among people. But in a modern world that leans toward minimalism, these patterns are slowly stripped down and reduced, leaving only echoes of their form.

The meanings they once held, their warmth and weight, fade gradually, like the memory of the table itself, blurred deep within the folds of time.

This wooden Eight Immortals table was a wedding gift for my mother. Back then, my family wasn't well-off. My grandfather cut down an old elm tree in front of the house and built the table with his own hands. At the time, such a table was an essential part of a new household. The more furniture a bride brought with her, the more blessings she was seen to carry into her new life. Today, those customs have faded. Life moves faster, people are more financially secure, but families are more dispersed. Shared meals have become rare — now mostly limited to holidays or ancestral rituals.

This table, once central to family life, was left unused, gathering dust in the garage. But when I began to take interest in it, my grandmother started sharing stories I had never heard — stories from a time long before my own.

Memories of Objects
Location: Xiang Art Museum
Building 30, Area A, Nanxiang Zhidi Cultural Industry Park, No. 1188 Huyi Highway, Shanghai, China
Date: Sep 9 – Oct 28, 2022