Antique Chinese carpets have a very long and distinguished history that is largely independent of rug designs from the Middle East. Often related more to the tradition of silk textiles, Antique Chinese rugs and carpets were produced in medallion as well as allover formats. These tend to be more open and spacious than Oriental carpets from the Middle East . Often they contain prominent pictorial elements - trees, clouds, mountains, dragons and various animals. Colors are generally soft with emphasis on blues, golds, and ivories.

However, twentieth-century Chinese rugs could at times be quite spare in design, catering to modern western or Art Deco taste, and quite radical in color. The most recognizable rugs from the 1920s and 1930 were made by Walter Nichols, and American who manufactured deco carpets in Tientsin. They were usually made of wool and the finest silk while depicting exotic Asian flowers and birds in very rich, bold colors like magenta, turquoise, emerald and ruby.