Beijing Special Local Products

During the centuries of imperial rule, Beijing enjoyed a glittering reputation as center of arts and crafts. The world renowned cloisonné, lacquer ware, jade curving, jewellery, carpet making, etc. still flourish today.

Cloisonné

The process of making cloisonné is very complicated and most of it is done by hand. First use copper as a base, then curve fine copper wires or strips into various beautiful designs and mount them on the copper base. Within the outlined areas formed by the copper wires glass based enamels are built later on layer. After each layer is deposited, the work is fired in a kiln, reducing the enamel to a coating of glass. With each firing, the enamel layer thickens until it equals in depth the wire design. Then use blocks of abrasive to grind the glass hard surface to silk smoothness. The metal strips appear to be set into surface. The final product will last indefinitely with reasonable care. The colors are locked into the material and remain bright and sharp for hundreds of years.

Carved Lacquer Ware

Carved lacquer ware appeared two thousand years ago during the Han Dynasty. It reached Beijing during the Tang Dynasty, more than one thousand years ago, and techniques improved steadily through the Yuan and Ming dynasties.
A copper body is covered with layers of lacquer. The minimum is sixty layers and the maximum is six hundred layers. Only two layers of lacquer can be done a day. The application of six hundred layers of lacquer will take nearly ten months. After the lacquer has dried, designs of flowers, scenery, human figures are outlined on the lacquer and then carved. Carving techniques include relief and fretwork The carving is delicate and precise, and often achieves a three-dimensional effect. More than thirty kinds of items are produced such as smoking sets, vases, plates, boxes, rings and bracelets.

Jade Carving

Jade has always been highly esteemed in China. It was valued more than gold. Jade occurs in many colors, ranging from dark grey through green, brown and pale yellow to white. The most frequently seen color is the pale green. The boulders of jade are sawn into workable blocks which are then cut into the rough shape of the finished product. The Jade carving is done on carborundum wheels, which are kept wet to clear the abrasive. Jade carving is a time-consuming and painstaking job. Sometimes it takes three of more years to complete a piece.

Hand-loomed Carpets

World famous Chinese carpets are meticulously hand woven from machine or hand spun woolen yarn. The hand-loomed carpet wool is thick, resilient and of great tensile strength. It is taken from the hardy sheep of China’s remote northwestern pasturelands. The excellent wearing qualities of Chinese carpets are due to a great extent to the unexcelled and special qualities of the wool.
The weaving process is one which demands long hours and even days and months of patient tying of woolen yarn knots onto the strong cotton warp threads. Chinese carpet weavers tie thousands upon thousands of loops and knots, cut the ends-one at a time and row after row-until the carpet is a beautiful whole. The next major process is one of trimming and clipping, during which the pile is cut to an even height and the embossed figures are trimmed into shape. The finished carpet usually undergoes chemical washing to bring out the silky lustre and to make the surface soft and velvety.

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