A Journey Through Time
The Summer Palace in Beijing is home to four full sets of blackwood tangram tables - 28 tables in total. The tables are configured into two hexagons (10 tables per hexagon) and two pairs (4 tables).
Modern designers have created 20th and 21st century versions of the antique tables.
Over time, tangrams have evolved to encompass forms beyond
the common puzzle varieties.
TANGRAM TABLES
During the mid to late Qing dynasty (1644 - 1912), craftsman
created sets of tangram-shaped tables out of high-quality
wood, embellished with marble or ornamental carving.
Examples of these antique tables can still be found, however
rarely, in China.
The Garden for Lingering, in
Suzhou, boasts a set of blackwood
tangram tables under the guise of
what at first sight is a Chinese Chess
board and a Go board. Seemingly
hidden under the boards are seven
tables in the seven tangram shapes.