The rare red sandal wood

Red sandalwood is one of the most valuable timbers in the world. Native to Southeast Asia, red sandal trees are categorized among evergreen mesophanerophytes. The mature red sandal trees are very tall, but scarce. That is because they need several hundred years to grow thick. When the trunks are thick enough, however, they usually get hollow. The red sandal wood takes on a color of purplish brown, and is so dense that any piece of it placed in water will sink immediately. Even in harsh temperatures and humidity, the wood seldom becomes deformed. That is probably because the tree grows very slow, so its texture is very dense. Though the timber is very hard, it is smooth when cut. This character enables exquisite sculptures be made from it.

The Chinese understanding and use of the red sandal wood can be traced back to the late East Han Dynasty (25-220), but its popularization did not come until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The royalty members of that dynasty valued red sandal wood very much, so they ordered that sandal wood be collected from any possible place for their use. The officials then looked for and cut down red sandal trees extensively at home and abroad. This nearly led to the extinction of mature sandal wood. When time came to the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), most of the logs and products of red sandalwood around the world had all been stored in China. The extinction of mature wood, resulting from excessive harvesting, makes the red sandal articles priceless today.

Westerners treasure red sandals even more. Before they came to China, they believed that sandal trees were all slender; but afterwards, they were amazed by the big wares made from this timber. Realizing that all excellent works of red sandal wood were in China, westerners purchased a lot of them and got them shipped back to their countries.