Wu Jian
A Reconfigurable Ming-style Seating System
2026
Furniture
Wu Jian reinterprets the hierarchy embedded in Ming-style seating through contemporary values of equality, autonomy, and dialogue. Inspired by the non-directionality of stools and the ground-based armrest Pingji, the design transforms the chair into a reconfigurable seating system that shifts between multiple modes of use.
Background
Traditional Ming-style seating expresses respect through social hierarchy in its form and use. However, contemporary Chinese understandings of respect are no longer defined by hierarchy.
How might we reinterpret the embedded hierarchy of a Ming-style chair through contemporary values of equality, autonomy, and dialogue?
insight
Stools are non-directional and allow entry from any angle, while chairs prescribe orientation and behavior. Introducing the non-directional quality of a stool into a chair creates new possibilities for use and interaction.
Pingji, a historical ground-based armrest, demonstrates that support can exist independently from seating. This suggests a way to separate the chair into distinct functional elements.
Deconstruct the Chair
By deconstructing the chair into a stool-like base and a pingji-inspired support structure, the chair becomes a fluid system rather than a fixed typology. As the typology becomes fluid, the hierarchy embedded within traditional seating begins to dissolve.
EXPLORATion
The initial ideas included six concepts for a seating system with movable components that provide different functions. Each sketch model explored different kinds of interaction.
Refinement
Fluid Typology
Structural reconfiguration allows the chair to shift between multiple typologies.
Separating the seat and backrest enables multiple orientations and uses.
Final Design
The final design is based on two overlapping circular forms inspired by traditional round stools, extending the stool’s non-directionality into a chair typology. movable backrests allow multiple configurations and modes of use through shared insertion points. A symmetrical frame structure and open gap between the seat and frame balance structural strength with the visual lightness found in Ming-style furniture.
fabrication
Due to the high level of symmetry in the structure, many components share the same templates. To ensure consistency and improve efficiency, I used laser-cut templates, routers, and Domino joinery throughout the fabrication process.
The design includes 35 major components requiring templates and 14 smaller components. The seat consists of six identical frame pieces, two identical central panels, and one central frame. Repeated components were produced using laser-cut templates and a router, while custom holes were created with a plunge router.
The templates went through several iterations due to variations in material thickness, which affected both joinery accuracy and the rounded edge profiles. Because many edges are double-sided semicircular forms, routing the second side presented a challenge. To solve this issue, I designed and 3D-printed custom jigs that provided a stable reference surface and ensured accurate routing.
Wu Jian
Wu Jian reinterprets the hierarchy embedded in Ming-style seating through contemporary values of equality, autonomy, and dialogue. Inspired by the non-directionality of stools and the ground-based armrest Pingji, the design transforms the chair into a reconfigurable seating system that shifts between multiple modes of use.
Reconfigurable Backrest
The backrest can be easily removed and reattached in different holes to support multiple configurations.
