Chinese Local Specialties

Chinese Local Specialties

China's local specialty is one of the essential parts of Chinese culture and a perfect embodiment of material civilization and spiritual a civilization of human beings as well.

Ceramics

Ceramic is the general name of pottery and porcelain products. Ceramic production has a long history in China. It has been 6,000 or 7,000 years since Chinese people invented the pottery. As for Chinese porcelain, it also has been about 3,000 years since being created.

(1)    Pottery

Pottery refers to an article that uses the clay as its body, which is moulded by hand pinching, wheel braking, moulding and then fired in 800 - 1,000 degree centigrade. The pottery has the opaque body with water-absorptive microporous without a clear and melodious sound when being knocked upon. Pottery can be divided into fine pottery and crude pottery, white or coloured as well as unglazed or glazed. As for the varieties, pottery can be divided into grey pottery, red pottery, white pottery, painted pottery, and black pottery .etc. It is with a strong flavour of life and a unique artistic style.

Yixing Zisha Pottery

Yixing Zisha pottery is produced in Yixing City in Jiangxi Province of China. The Yixing pottery industry has a long history. Hence it is known as “City of Pottery.” The main products of Yixing pottery are potteries for daily use. Yixing Zisha pottery, which is called as Holy Masterpiece”, is fine unglazed pottery. It is made of special pottery clay with fine texture and high iron content. It has an antique shape, a simple but elegant colour, and porous side walls. When being used as a tea set to make a tea, it can keep a tea’s aroma for several days. Besides, it has excellent heat insulating properties, conducting heat slowly, not scalding, etc.

Foshan Shiwan Pottery

Shiwan Pottery, which is produced in Foshan City in Guangdong Province of China, uses local clay and mound sand as raw materials. The main products are household pottery, art pottery, glazed pottery, and architectural pottery. Shiwan pottery sticks to the principle of utility in combination with elegance. It has thick walls, thick enamel, and varied techniques. Art pottery is distinctive folk crafts. The modelling is plain and rugged with a strong local flavour. The pottery figure's face and exposed muscle are made from coloured clay and are not glazed (called as “exposed pottery lube”).

Qinzhou Nixing Pottery

Qinzhou Nixing pottery is made in Qinzhou City in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Ttie pottery is made of local red clay, from both sides of the Qinjiang River. Qinzhou Nixing pottery includes eight categories, the vase, tea set, coffee service, flowerpot, stationery, tableware, smoked tripod, and antique earthenware, and has more than four hundred types. Among them, the most prestigious are tea sets, the vase pen container, bonsai pots, and tableware. Qinzhou Nixing pottery has the characteristics of a delicate texture, loud sound, solid and sturdy, simple and elegant. It is non-poisonous, acid proof, alkali proof, strong water absorption, and strong air permeability.

Luoyang Tang Tri-colored Glazed Pottery

Tang tri-coloured glazed pottery is a painted pottery handicraft, which is made in the area of Luoyang City in the Tang Dynasty. It mainly uses the yellow, white and green as its basic glaze. Therefore it is called “tri-colored glazed pottery." It absorbs such traits of arts and crafts as traditional Chinese painting, sculpture, and uses the decorative patterns in the form of the sticking pile, carving, etc., and has the bold, powerful lines.

Tang tri-coloured glazed pottery is low-temperature glazed pottery when added in different metal oxides, the glaze, after being fired, then it forms a variety of colors including light yellow, deep yellow, light green, deep green, blue, red and purple, etc. But the main colours are yellow, brown and green. It is mainly the colored glaze on the pottery cup that has a chemical reaction during the process of being fired. Tang tri-coloured glazed pottery has the characteristics of glaze shade change, mutual infiltration, mottled dripping, natural color coordination, and smooth pattern, and it is a kind of traditional Chinese arts and crafts with a unique style.

(2)    Porcelain

Porcelain is developed from pottery. There are essential differences between porcelain and pottery. The porcelain is made by using relatively pure porcelain clay as like raw material, being fired in above 1,100 degrees celsius ；and the surface of the utensils is coated with glaze. It is only provided with these three conditions that the porcelain can be produced. Porcelain has the traits of dense compaction base, durability, easily cleanable quality, gorgeous appearance, etc. The invention of Chinese porcelain has been about 3,000 years.

Jingdezhen Porcelain

Jingdezhen City, which is called the “ceramics capital” of China, is famous for its porcelain and has about 2,000 years, porcelain producing history. Jingdezhen porcelain is exquisite with delicate design and elegant moisturizing. Jingdezhen porcelain has been well-known in the world for its own four special features while like jade, thin as paper, bright as a mirror, and sound like a chime”. The blue and white porcelain exquisitely wrought blue and white ware, the faille rose porcelain and the high-temperature colored glaze porcelain are called “Four Great Famous Excellent Jingdezhen Porcelain Wares”.

Zibo Art Ceramics

Zibo art ceramics are characterized by their quiet, elegant, dignified, and innovative design and exquisite techniques. Raindrop glaze ceramics and tea-dust glaze ceramics are its prominent representatives. Raindrop glaze ceramics are silver dots evenly covered with the black glaze. The raindrop glaze is regarded as the boutique of teaism. Tea-dust glaze ceramics have an olive-color glaze over which tea powder-like are evenly scattered, favored by Chinese and foreign patrons.

Shaoxing Yue Porcelain

Yue porcelain's hometown, Shaoxing City in Zhejiang Province, is considered to be the famous birthplace of Chinese celadon porcelain. The Yue porcelain is an outstanding craft in China's ceramic art garden. During the Shang Dynasty, ancient Yue people firstly, Which is stamped hard pottery with yellow in green glazing color and certain lustre. This is the original celadon in history. Nowadays, the traditionally processed ”allochroic glazed porcelain" still exists.

Tangshan Bone Porcelain

Tangshan City is the northern porcelain capital in China. Tlie production of bone porcelain is a Chinese initiative, filling the gaps in porcelain production in China. Bone porcelain is a short form of Tangshan bone porcelain in China, recognized worldwide as the highest grade. The bone porcelain is characterized by lightweight and hard fine texture, and not easy to wear or break. Under the light exposure, it is white translucent crystal, a natural milk white color the natural bone dust has in peculiar. Bone porcelain is featured as high brightness, excellent transparency, soft lustre, special decorative effect, and peculiarly pleasant sound.

Living Underglaze Colour Porcelain

Underglaze color porcelain is formed by being painted on its body first, and covered with the transparent glaze and then fired at high temperature. Porcelain is white as jade with crystal underglaze color. Hidden under the thin glazes, the painting is full of a sense of movement. The porcelain is high temperature resistant, corrosion resistant, and not easy to fade.

Dehua Porcelain

Dehua County of Fujian Province is famous for producing white porcelain in China. Its production has white texture, fine as jade, and its glazed surface is smooth like a mirror, the body is dense and solid, and the sound is like a chime.

Longquan Celadon Ceramics

Longquan celadon ceramics are produced in Longquan City in Zhejiang Province of China The glaze color is mainly cyan, beautiful as jade, and its brightness is like a mirror, and sound like a chime.

Brocade

Brocade is weaving pattern fabrics made by the dyed color latitude and longitude lines through jacquard and weaving techniques. Three famous contemporary brocades are Yun brocade, Sichuan brocade, and Song brocade.

(1)    Yun Brocade

Yun brocade is produced in the Nanjing City of Jiangsu Province. Brocade pattern seems like the cloud ( in Chinese, the cloud is pronounced Yun ). Thus the name of Yun brocade comes into being. Brocade begins from the period of Nanbeichao, develops in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Its texture is diverse, ancient and vigorous, color-bright, well proportioned and harmonious, full of local characteristics. The main varieties are Yuhua brocade ( raindrops brocade), concavo-convex brocade and double-sided brocade. It can be used for furnishing decoration, or as an art picture.

(2)    Shu Brocade

Shu brocade ( Sichuan brocade), which is made in Chengdu of Sichuan Province, is named after the place. It has a tough texture, colorful and unique composition, and rich local style.

(3)    Song Brocade

Song brocade is produced in Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province. It is said that it originates from the Song Dynasty, hence the name Song brocade comes into being. Being elegant, smooth and firm, it is suitable for calligraphy and painting, thus favored by men of letters very much.

Embroidery

(1)    Su Embroidery

Su embroidery refers to the embroidery products made in Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province. Embroidery is characterized by its fine needlework, lively stitch, beautiful pattern, and elegant colors. Modem embroidery uses silk, satin, and yam as the bottom, adopts various processes, uses over 40 kinds of needle techniques, and applies more than a thousand species of colored threads.

(2)    Xiang Embroidery

Xiang embroidery ( Hu’nan embroidery) is the general name of the embroidery handicraft in the area around Changsha of Hu’nan Province. Xiang embroidery synthesizes traditional painting, calligraphy, and embroidery art gimmick. It has a beautiful design, rigorous composition, bright color, style of realism, and vivid and natural form, also known as “super embroidery.”

(3)    Yue Embroidery

Yue embroidery ( Guangdong embroidery) is a kind of folk embroidery popular in the region of Guangdong Province. Yue embroidery has a plump composition, vivid and lifelike image and bright color. Gold and silver cushion embroidery is the unique skill of Yue embroidery. It can make the image of embroidery scenery rich and produce a three-dimensional effect.

(4)    Shu Embroidery

Shu embroidery ( Sichuan embroidery) is the foundation of the embroidery handicraft in the area around Chengdu of Sichuan Province. Shu embroidery generally uses satin and threads as the main raw materials, and its composition is bright and beautiful, the stitch is rigorous, color and lustre are light, the shade is appropriate, and density is adequate. It has the artistic effect of abbreviated ink painting.

The Four Treasures of the Study

Among the four treasures of the study “writing brush, ink stick, ink slab, and paper,” Huzhou writing brush, Hui ink stick, Duan ink slab, and Xuan paper are the four treasures of top grade.

(1)    Huzhou Writing Brush

Huzhou writing brush gets the name for being produced in Shanlian Town of Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province. Huzhou writing brush is commonly made of super goat hair after nearly hundreds of refining processes, such as soaking, epilating, combing, etc.

(2)    Hui Ink Stick

Hui ink stick is produced in the Huizhou area of Anhui Province. Hui ink stick uses turpentine soot, China wood oil soot, lacquer soot, and glue as its main raw materials and is a special primary paint for the use of traditional calligraphy and painting. Hui ink slick has the characteristics of black and moister color, tough and bright luster, no gluing brush, no fainting into the paper, rich ink fragrance and mothproofing, etc. Hui ink stick makes the names of calligraphy masters and the painting patterns engraved beautiful and elegant, and thus is valued greatly by calligraphy and painting art.

(3)    Duan Ink Slab

Duan ink slab is produced in the Zhaoqing City of Guangdong Province. For the reason that Zhaoqing City is called Duanzhou Prefecture in ancient times, hence the ink slab produced there is called Duan ink slab. Duan ink slab has been the scholars’ favorites long before and appreciated by the emperors and dignitaries. Tlie production of Duan ink slab needs more than ten kinds of difficult and delicate processes of exploration, excavation, transportation, material selection, program, design, engraving, polishing, washing, and equipment. The Calcarea of Duan ink slab is slender, pure, delicate, moist, firm and light. There is a legend that ink will not lose or freeze in winter once rubbed on the Duan ink slab.

(4) Xuan paper

Xuan paper is named after being originated in Xuanzhou Prefecture (today Xuancheng City of Anhui Province). It is now mainly produced in Jingxian County of Anhui Province. Xuan paper also called “rice paper” comes from the Tang Dynasty and is inherited generation by generation. Rice paper has good moistening deformation of ink, durability, and resistance to insects and is appropriate for writing and drawing. Because the rice paper has characteristics such as being easy to save, enduring the crisp, not fading, and so on, it wins the reputation of “paper longevity of the millennium.”

Chinese Five Types of Famous Jade

Chinese five types of famous jade refer to Xinjiang Hetian jade and Shaanxi Lantian jade, He'nan Dushan jade, Gansu Qilian jade, Liaoning Xiuyan jade.

(1)    Hetian Jade

Hetian jade is also known as nephrite which gets the name because it is produced in the Hetian Prefecture of Xinjiang. Hetian jade is also called “soft jade” or “real jade,” and its hardness is 6 - 6. 5. According to different places of outputs, the Hetian jade can be divided into three types, pebble, water, and mountain. Nephrite is famous for its dense texture, and delicate, soft smooth and resilient characteristics.

(2)    Lantian Jade

Lantian jade is named after its birthplace Lantian County of Shaanxi Province, and is commonly known as “dish jade.” From the appearance of its texture, it has uneven colors such as yellow, light green, etc. , along with light white marble. Its jade hardness is around 4 and is easy to be processed.

(3)    Dushan Jade

Dushan jade is named because it is produced in Dushan of Nanyang City, and is also known as Nanyang jade or He’nan jade. Dushan jade is known for its bright color and excellent transparency.

(4)    Qilian Jade

Qilian jade is produced in Qilianshan Mountain. It is renowned for its dark green color and black spots.

(5)    Xiuyan Jade

Xiuyan jade is produced in Xiuyan Man Autonomous County of Liaoning Province. It belongs to serpentine and is renowned for its moist, crystal, subtle, robust, transparent texture and several colors.

Chinese Three Types of Wonderful Stone

Three types of wonderful stone of China refer to Changhua Bloodstone of Zhejiang Province, Qingtian bacon stone and Fujian Shoushan stone of Fujian Province.

(1)    Changhua Bloodstone

Changhua bloodstone is produced from Yugan Mountain in the northwest of Changhua Town in Zhejiang Province, named after its color of blood.

Changhua bloodstone is a precious gemstone peculiarly produced in China, with chicken blood- like red color and beautiful jade-like texture. It is cherished as jade all the time and considered as treasure both at home and abroad.

(2)    Qingtian Bacon Stone

Qingtian bacon stone is named because it is produced in Qingtian County of Zhejiang Province. Its main components are pyrophyllite, also known as the stone of stamp. Lamplighter bacon stone is the most expensive of this kind. Lamplighter bacon stone is named after its characteristics of being light yellow, pure and delicate, moist and soft, bright and lustrous t translucent, and fantastic under the lights. It has a fine quality and is easy (o be carved, once used to stamp in the early Ming Dynasty. Lamplighter bacon stone is the masterwork of Qingtian stone and well-known everywhere at a very high price.

(3)    Shoushan Stone

Shoushan stone is produced in the northern suburbs of the Shoushan Village of Fuzhou City. It is one of the traditional Chinese “ four seal-stone.” The main ingredients are pyrophyllite, among which larderite is the most expensive. The price of 1 gram of larderite with ordinary quality has reached 300 yuan.

Metal Craft

Metal Craft is a particular category of Chinese art and craft, including cloisonne, enamelware, filigree inlaying, variegated copper-ware, tin craft, iron paint, gold and silver jewellery, and so on.

(1)    Beijing Cloisonne

Cloisonne is Beijing’s famous traditional handicraft, known as the wiry copper enamel or enamelware, and it is also known as “embedded wiry enamel.” It is aware fired by the pattern which is filled with enamel glaze after pinching into a variety of models welded on with soft flat copper wire. It was prevalent in the period of Jingtai of the Ming Dynasty with mature skills and blue-dominated glaze enamel, hence the name cloisonne.

(2)    Bejing Enamel

Beijing enamel, also known as copper tires painted enamel, is called the sister art of cloisonne. Its difference from cloisonne lies in that it needs no pinching, but applies a layer of white glaze on the carcass in copper after a tire tread and is painting after sintering glaze, filled with color and amended twice or three times, and then sintered, gold-plated, and polished up. Beijing enamel has a wide range of varieties, such as bottles, plates, bowls, pots, dishes, and the wine facilities, smoking accessories t as well as furnaces, tripod, Jue ( an ancient wine vessel with three legs and a loop handle), sandalwood burner and plug hanging bottles, bottles and other decorations.

(3)    Filigree Inlaying in Bejing and Chengdu

Filigree inlaying, also fine gold, is the combination of two production skills filigree and inlaying. It is made of materials like gold, silver, precious inlaid stones, and pearls, and built-in woven art. Filigree inlaying falls into two categories, filament, and inlaying.

The filament is an art ware made with heaps, in weaving techniques through a thin gold, silver silk. Inlaying is hammering gold, silver slices into containers caved with pattern and inlaid with gems. Filigree technology is well-known in Beijing and Chengdu. The representative works of filigree are the crown of Ming Dynasty Emperor Wanli,  Qing Dynasty Jin’ou yonggu cup, gold peach bonsai in the silver square basin, gold inlaid jewelry crown, hall of prayer for Good Harvests of modem jewelry and China century dragon.

(4)    Wuhu Iron Picture

Wuhu iron picture, also known as the iron flower, gets the name because it is produced in Wuhu City of Anhui Province and is one of the unique arts and crafts of China. The iron picture is using low carbon steel as raw materials, forging and welding metal palter and steel wire into a variety of decorative painting. It integrates folk paper- cutting, sculpture, mosaics, and a variety of art techniques as a whole using Chinese painting art, black and white contrast, a combination of excess and deficiency, and having some fun. Iron picture originates from the Song Dynasty, being rampant in the Northern Song Dynasty. During the period of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, Wuhu iron picture has its style and is renowned throughout the world gradually.

(5)    Longquan Sword

Longquan sword, which is one of the famous Chinese traditional handicrafts, gets the name because it is produced in Longquan City of Zhejiang Province. Legend has it that Longquan sword is originated from more than 2,000 years ago, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Longquan sword is very famous in rang Dynasty. Longquan sword has the four traditional features, tough and sharp, the pressing cool-radiance,  tamper force with mercy, skilful and delicate emblazonry. Longquan sword is popular both at home and abroad. Overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asian countries like to hang it in the room or bedside, to ward off evil spirits and take them as decorations.

New Year Picture

New Year picture is a form of Chinese painting, dating from the ancient Gate-god picture. It is officially called the New Year picture during the period of Emperor Guangxi in the Qing Dynasty. It is a unique painting genre in China and a popular art form for China’s rural people. Because most of them are posted when New Year comes, which are not only used to decorate the environment but also as an indication of good luck and blessing for the new year, so it is called New Year’s pictures. Zhuxianzhen Town in Kaifeng City of He’nan Province, Yangjiabu Village in the Weifang City of Shandong Province, Taohuawu of Jiangsu Province, and Yangliuqing Town, have enjoyed a good reputation for a long time and are known as China’s “four masters of New Year picture.”

(1)    New Year Picture of Zhuxianzhen Town

New Year pictures of Zhuxianzhen Town gets the name because it comes from Zhuxianzhen Town in Kaifeng City of He, Nan Province. It belongs to woodblock prints painting products, has a long history and is a long-standing of history of more than 800 years. It was born in Tang Dynasty, prevailing in the Song Dynasty and reaching its peak in the Ming Dynasty which was honored as the founder of Chinese woodblock New Year pictures.

Legend has it that, in Tang Dynasty when Emperor Tangtaizong ordered pointers to hang senior general Qin Qiong and Yuchi Jingde portraits in the palace gate to ward off evil spirits, hence it becomes the beginning of the Door God. Because of the short supply, hand-painted prints are difficult to keep up with demand, so folk artists used woodblock carving to have mass production, resulting in development, which formed an annual custom.

(2)    Yangjiabu New Year Picture

Yangjiabu New Year picture gets the name because it is produced in Yangjiabu Village of Weifang City in Shandong Province. It belongs to the woodblock prints painting products, originated in the Ming Dynasty and was prosperous in Qing Dynasty. The composition of the Yangjiabu New Year picture is proportional and full. The model is sturdy and simple, and the line is concise and smooth, reflecting the ideals, customs and daily life with a strong folk flavour, local colour, and holiday atmosphere.

(3)    Yangliuqing New Year Picture

Yangliuqing New Year picture gets the name becau8e it is produced in Yangliuqing Town of Tianjin City, belonging to the woodblock prints painting products. As famous Chinese folk New Year woodblock print, it is called 44 South peach and North willow ” with Taohuawu New Year pictures arising from the Chongzhen Era in Ming Dynasty. Yangliuqing New Year picture has characteristics of fine and smooth drawing, pretty characters, brightly beautiful colors, rich content, diverse forms, harmonious atmosphere, humorous plot, interesting inscription, and so on.

(4)    Taohuawu New Year Picture

Taohuawu New Year picture gets the name because it is produced in the area of Taohuawu in the north of the Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province.

Taohuawu New Year picture originates from the Song Dynasty woodblock printing technology, develops into a folk art genre in Ming Dynasty, and is prosperous in Yongzheng and Qianlong eras of the Qing Dynasty. The amount of production of Taohuawu woodblock New Year picture reaches millions or more per year. The composition of Taohuawu New Year picture is proportional t full, magnificent, which is often dominated by amaranth to show joyful atmosphere, with beautiful and refined Southern folk art style, mainly showing traditional folk aesthetic content of being auspicious folklife, local opera story, flowers, birds, fruits, vegetables, but avoidance of ghosts and evil.

Knitting Technology

Knitting technology is a kind of art ware (baskets or other goods) waved by a manual method with better toughness fiber ( such as twigs, wicker, bamboo, Juncus effuses). Knitting technology is both practical and decorative arts. Depending on the materials used, it can be divided into bamboo plaiting and straw plaiting. Bamboo plaiting is famous for Dongyang bamboo plaiting, Shengzhou bamboo plaiting, and Dai bamboo plaiting. Straw plaiting is famous for Shandong straw plaiting and Ningbo straw plaiting.

(1)    Dongyang Bamboo Plaiting

Dongyang bamboo plaiting gets the name because it is produced in the Dongyang City of Zhejiang Province. It rises in the Song Dynasty, making mainly dragon lantern, festive lantern,  and (rotting horse lamp. Dongyang bamboo plaiting is mainly practical products and crafts now. Dongyang practical products include more than 20 varieties of bamboo baskets, dishes, bottles, cans, packs, boxes, furniture, and so on. Among crafts, animal bamboo plaiting is the most expressive, such as chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, and dogs with a vivid and exaggerated image, fine and smooth looking.

(2)    Shengzhou Bamboo Plaiting

Shengzhou bamboo plaiting gets the name because it is produced in Shengzhou City in the East of Zhejiang Province. It begins in the Warring States Period, matures in Han and Jin Dynasties and is prosperous in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Shengzhou bamboo painting is known for its exquisite weaving, various craft, and rich color. Shengzhou bamboo plaiting has twelve categories of baskets, dishes, pots, boxes, vases, screens, animals, people, buildings, furniture, lamps, appliances, etc. with more than 6,000 varieties of color and design.

(3)    The  Bamboo Weaving of Dai People in Yunnan Province

The bamboo weaving of Dai people in Yunnan Province gets the name for Dai people in Yunnan Province so skilled in bamboo weaving. Dai people establish a tight connection with bamboo since ancient times. Their stockade villages are often located in bamboo forests, and thus the various kinds of utensils in their life are made of bamboo naturally. When it comes to diet, Dai people enjoy fresh bamboo shoots as well as some sour pickled bamboo shoots. It just seems like turning into a world of bamboo weaving when you step on the chic bamboo house. You can see bamboo weavings everywhere, the bamboo weaving wall, the bamboo weaving mat, the interior furnishings woven of bamboo from wardrobe to dinner bucket, besides the little stool, summer hat, rain cap, little portable pack basket, and so on.

There are mainly tribute tables, lift baskets, bacon boxes, lunch box and drip gourd as the most representative bamboo weaving lacquer, and they are called Penglai, Sahoo, Gading, Yanhao, and Nanduowa respectively in Dai language. Bamboo weaving equipment with gorgeous colorful patterns are the necessities when Dai people engaged in Buddhist activities for the temple martyrs, and nearly every family gets one set of the equipment When the Water-splashing Day or the Door Opening/Closing Festival comes, old Dai people put the bacon in Gading, glutinous rice in Yanhao, water in Nanduoxva and various kinds of Buddha tributes in Sahao.

The children deliver their parents and the Buddha vegetarian food with Penglai and Sahao, as for the olds, they use Nafo. Bamboo weaving lacquers are often placed high up, slaying away from other things. Patterns like lotus, butterflies, dragon and Pentagon are used so popular in bamboo weaving lacquer decorating, and they implied wishes for the Buddha's blessing, blessing people excellent and happy.

(4)    Shandong Straw Weaving

Straw weaving is very popular in Shandong Province. Shandong Straw weaving originates from Laizhou City with at least 6, 000 years of history.

Straw weaving handicraft is a local specialty in Shandong Province. Its straw weaving uses raw materials, such as rushes, grass, com husk, com stalk, wheat straw, and so on. Shandong straw weaving products are mainly divided into two categories. One is the arts and crafts with the function of use, such as lift basket, bags, a mat of tea, ground mat, straw hat, door curtain, fruit box, wastepaper basket, baby basket, straw storage bins, etc. The other is the decorations with the beauty in form, such as grass screen, grass carpet f lamp cover, wallpaper of straw weaving, etc.

(5)    Ningbo Straw Weaving

The traditional weaving techniques of the Ningbo City of Zhejiang Province have existed since ancient times with a history of more than 2,000 years. Ningbo City has abundant resources of straw, such as mat grass, culm, salty grass, rush, Chinese alpine rush, and com husks, etc. Ningbo straw weaving is famous for its straw hat, in addition to grass basket, bags, grass fan, straw sandals, straw tea mat, etc., as well as a variety of beautiful decorative pattern designs.

Lacquerware

Chinese people began to make lacquerware with their knowledge about the strength of lacquer, as early as the New Stone Age. From then on, thanks to the technique evolution from Shang Dynasty ( 1600 - 1100 B. C. ), and Zhou Dynasty (1100 - 256 B. C. ) all the way to Ming Dynasty ( 1368 - 1644 A. D. ) and Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 A. D. ) t the lacquerware craft has reached quite an advanced level.

(1)    Beijing Lacquerware

There are two major types of lacquerwares, carved lacquerwares, and inlaid metal (gold, silver,etc. ) pattern lacquers. Possessing a long history, the former's craft grew to be mature in the 14th century. Its manufacture begins with a copper mold being prime coated with melted lacquer together with enamel, then the coating materials in red, green and yellow, etc. are applied to it one layer after another layer with hundreds of times of repetition. The edges of the ware are galvanized with gold. When the coats completely dry in the shade, they can be carved to be either reliefs or cutting- out The latter is known as Jinqi xiangqian”, lacquer with inlaid metal patterns, which can be broken down into, color lacquer with metal patterns, finish engraved with tiny shinning shells, golden/silver foil patterns flushed with lacquer coating,  intaglio lacquer, and lacquer with polished painting. Both of the two major lacquerware show their classic style with luxury and stable features.

(2)    Fuzhou Bodiless Lacquerware

With strong Fujian local ethnic characteristics, Fuzhou bodiless lacquerware lives up to its fame as one of the “Top Three Crafts" in China ( cloisonne ware and Jingdezhen porcelain) y thanks to its sophisticated decoration in vivid colors as well as its strong durability but light in weight.

Nowadays, there are over 3,000 types of products in 300 styles of each class, which are mainly wares for daily-use and art wares. The former includes giant vase, screen, various polished paintings, etc., the latter can be used as stationary and serve tea, coffee and dinner.

(3)    Yangzhou Engraved Lacquer

Originated in the Warring States Period, Yangzhou engraved lacquerwares evolution from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty and finally blooms in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Today, this traditional Chinese craft has won its world-class reputation, due to its sophisticated tech making a complete list of products with firm characteristics.

(4)    Tianshui Lacquerware

The techniques include carving and filling up, engraving and filling up, engraving silver patterns f golden edging, etc., among which the craft of carved and filled-up is the most popular one. With a history of over 100 years, the products are made out of a wooden or leather mold in Qing Dynasty. The “Xiu” (a traditional coating technique) can only be applied to the process of carving and filling up for manufacturing a wood bowl, a hand stick, etc. Since the P. R. C. founded in 1949, Tianshui lacquerware makes unprecedented progress in the fields of its design, carving, pigment filling up, polish, etc. There are almost a hundred types of significant products, vase, plate, box set, cigarette holder, tea set screens, sofa-table, various kinds of cabinets, etc. Particularly the screen of the engraved spiral shell and foldable sofa-table, etc. display their great regional ethnic features with elegant shape and sound decorative patterns made out of outstanding crafts.

The Folk Art

The traditional Chinese folk art has a long history with richness and colorfulness. For example, shadow play, the clay sculpture, paper cut and lion dance, etc. are famous folk art. They are not only the specialties with local characteristics but also treasures of Chinese culture.

(1)    The Shadow Play in the Northwest of China

The shadow play is a form of folk art in China which originates in Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is a unique art which combines art and drama, and it is a kind of folk art in the rural area of Gansu Province, Shaanxi Province, and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The shadow puppets and the pros of the scene are leather products which are carved and painted manually by Chinese folk artist They are made by procedures of washing the cowhide, drying, drawing, carving, painting, and ironing. During the performance, each part of the puppet characters is controlled by the performer who is behind the scenes, and it casts many lifelike actions on the screen in front of the audience. The plot of the story is interpreted by adding some inspiring songs or monologues.

(2)    Paper-cut of Han Nationality

The art of paper-cut is one of the most ancient folk arts of Han nationality. Its history can be traced back to the sixth century A. D. It is a treasure of Chinese folk art, and it is a form of long-history and wide-spread folk art in Chinese rural areas. Paper-cut is to cut paper, gold foil, bark, leaves, cloth, leather, leather sheet material into a variety of patterns with scissors such as window paper-cut, wallpaper- cut, ceiling paper and snuff paper-cut, etc. The origin and the popularization of folk art are closely related to the customs of celebrating festivals in Chinese rural areas. People put beautiful paper-cut on the window paper or the bright windows walls, doors, the lanterns on holidays or wedding celebration. It can greatly enrich the atmosphere of the festival.

(3)    Shaanxi Fengxiang Painted Clay

Fengxiang painted clay of Shaanxi Province originates in the Pre-Qin Dynasty. It has been handed down for three thousand years and is still the oldest and well-preserved clay sculpture among the handmade products in China with its full national characteristics. Fengxiang painted clay is elegant and vivid with the strong flavor of rural life. The characters of the clay include humans, animals, and plants.

Most of the works are hollow plastic circular or the hanging pieces of relief style. Its production method is simple. Firstly, the clay and paper pulp are mixed and is put into a mold. Then the white powder is brushed on it after the mold is dried. The following procedures are coloring, painting, and varnishing. Fengxiang painted clay has its style of bright colors which is presenting strong contrast. The coloring is simple, mainly in bright red, bright green and yellow. It gives people striking and eye-catching feeling by sketching the outline with black ink lines and brushing and dyeing the pictures with a simple drawing. The derived conceptions of Fengxiang painted clay are colorful. The theatrical makeup, auspicious patterns, folk legends, historical stories, rural folk life, etc. are all contents of the conceptions.