The Durham University Oriental Museum obtained a mid-19th century Chinese bed in 1981. The construction of this bed is described in detail; the piece appears to have been completely made from fresh planks. The design allowed for complete portability of the piece. The bed was inspected carefully before being placed on display: side and back panels exhibited worm damage, but not the front panel. The bed was probably built in Ning-po and dates not much earlier than 1842. -- AATA