As early the Later Han dynasty (25-

As early the Later Han dynasty (25-220),we have references to “dust-catching” canopies above the bed-platforms of that time and also to the elegant arrangement ,with curtaining ,of such private .This continues down the centuries .We know ,for example ,of Yüan sleeping arrangements with very elegant curtains and elaborately decorated screens .From such details it is easy to see how the richly ornamented private sleeping place gradually evolved ,and from it finally the movable canopied bed of hardwood which ,as in Plate 40-except for its low railing opening in the middle of one side only instead of along both sides as with us-had developed by Ming and ch’ing times to become not unlike a contemporary European bedstead .