In the fifteen plus years of owning Sinotique I have come across some amazing shapes and forms in the every day objects I collected from my travels. In the next few posts I'll share with you some of my favorite items from my collection.
A good example of this are these sticks carved from a single piece of lightweight, yet amazingly strong wood. These are Chinese shoulder sticks for carrying large loads across a person's back. Some of them are actually worn nearly through where the rope had been rubbing for years. When I first saw these I couldn't help but run my hands over the smooth surface of the underside where the person's shoulders would polish the wood, and over the ends where the rope carrying the load would constantly rub against the notch, nearly making its way through.
It's hard to say how old these are, but from the looks of the wood, the patina, and the amount of wear I would guess they are at least 1900's to 1950's.
Although several of the sticks look similar to one another, if you examine them closely it is apparent that they are personalized to each individual's size and strength. The end details serve to keep the rope from slipping off, but the also reflect a style unique to an individual or a collective unconscious of a particular region or even village.
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