Chinese Arts and Crafts

Lacquer ware is a sort of artifacts using wood or other materials as body on which lacquer is coated. Chinese lacquer-painted wooden bowl discovered in the Hemudu remains in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province in 1978, which went back 7,000 years. In the Neolithic Age, lacquer was still at an exploring stage. From the Xia, Shang and … Read more

China is a world-renowned ancient country of ceramic, which has long been one of the most significant traditional handicrafts in China. As early as the early Neolithic Age 8,000 years ago, earthenware was already made and used. During the mid-Shang Dynasty, porcelain in its rudimentary form started to appear. In terms of crafts, pottery and … Read more

Jade has been cherished by the Chinese as a symbol of man virtues. Its hardness suggests firmness and loyalty, and its luster projects purity and beauty. Typical subjects are carvings of flowers, animals, vases, and human figures. In the Neolithic Age, when people gradually recognized colored stone similar to jade in choosing stone for making … Read more

Paper cutting is a long-standin decorative folk art in China. The cutter first draws the designs on a piece of paper and then cuts it out with scissors or a knife. In the countryside, paper cuts are often stuck on windows and doors as auspicious and joyful decorations to mark festival and happy occasions. Often … Read more

Early in the Neolithic Age, the Chinese ancients already started to use articles made of bones, fangs, and horns from animals along with stoneware, wooden articles and pottery ware. Materials for carving taken from animals are mostly ivory. The animal-mask patterned ivory cup inlaid with pine-and-stone design unearthed from the Fuhao Tomb in the Yin … Read more