Literature: Noritsugu Oda, “Danish Chairs”, 1999. p. 104–105.

The “China Chair” formed the basis of a large part of Hans J. Wegner's designs. It illustrates his working methods and his mantra - that designing a piece of furniture is never final. The chair became the template for a great number of later variations, and one of its descendants is the mass-produced Y-chair from 1950.

The “China Chair” bears witness to how Wegner sought inspiration in furniture from previous historical periods. The long established trade routes between Europe and the East meant that Chinese art and craft had become a part of the European consciousness. Wegner became acquainted with Chinese furniture design at Designmuseum Danmark and from architect Ole Wanscher's book “Møbeltyper” (furniture types), which he studied at the library in Aarhus in 1943.

What caught Wegner's attention was the organic curve of the light backrests on the Chinese chairs. This led to the development of several models of the “China Chair”, which he worked on concurrently in 1944. To be made by cabinetmaker Johannes Hansen, he designed a Chinese inspired chair and armchair, and for Fritz Hansen, he made four different “China Chairs”, of which two went into production.

When the first “China Chair”, made by Fritz Hansen, was exhibited at the Spring Exhibition of Danish Arts and Crafts in 1944 in Copenhagen, Wegner asked his good friend, furniture designer Børge Mogensen, to pay the exhibition a visit. The feedback must have been discouraging for 'a man of the future' like Wegner - because, according to Mogensen, only a couple of antique dealers had showed an interest in the chair. Maybe this lack of interest was due to its distinct, exclusive and conservative elegance. Today, this very elegance has made the chair hugely popular in executive interiors.

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