In many tombs of the Tang Dynasty, people have found a variety of tri-colored glazed figurines, the most popular ones of which were horses and ladies. Mainly has the three-color glaze, yellow, green and brown, hence it got the name. The chemicals in the glaze change gradually in the firing process, creating a variegated effect with a majestic and elegant artistic attraction. Tri-colored glazed pottery was usually used as burial objects.

At that time, women enjoyed unparalleled freedom. Judging from the potteries and pictures, most of the Tang women wore sexy wide-collared skirts or thin-layered silk robes making their chests half-naked. Plumpness was not in fashion in Tang Dynasty until the ascendance of Yang Yuhuan who, though a little bit fat by today's standards, captivated the emperor and became the sexy idol of the time. Following her style, lavishness became the rule of fashion.

Tang people were open-minded and glad to accept exotic cultures from all over the world. Foreign traders, missionaries, diplomats, and artists traveled thousands of miles along the Silk Road to visit the Tang's capital city Chang'an. The trace of melting of multiple cultures can be found in Tang Tri-colored Glazed Potteries.

Cloisonné is a kind of traditional enamelware, known as ‘Jingtai Blue' in China, with a history more than 500 years. It is so called because ‘blue' is the typical color used for enamels and ‘Jingtai' is the title of the Ming Emperor's reign. Brilliant in color and splendid in design, they enjoy a high reputation both at home and abroad.

The process of making cloisonné is rather complicated. It begins with the casting of bronze into different shapes of vases, jars, bowls and the alike, to which flat bronze wires are then affixed in decorative patterns. Enamels of different colors are applied to fill the cloisonné or hollows. Each cloisonné piece is fired three times with a fresh coat of enamel each time. After firing, the pieces are ground and polished, and look to be gilded.

Ince 1949 cloisonné craftsmanship has undergone great development in two respects. First, the color range of enamels has been extend to pea green, rose purple, brown, egg yellow, azure and golden color. Most cloisonné pieces now are made with polychrome, and polished to create various tones. Secondly, the design have been improved by borrowing from patterns found in old silks.

Lacquer ware is a special product of China . After being heated and mixed with pigments, colorful lacquer comes into being and can be made as delicate handicrafts. The Chinese lacquer with brilliant color is waterproof, corrosionproof and high temperature resist. It is one of China 's great inventions of industrial arts. Lacquer ware not only has great ornamental value but also wide practicality.

Lacquer ware has the time-honored history in China . According to historical records, China is the first country in the world to use lacquer. Besides the ornamental furniture and various kinds of wares, lacquer ware can used as musical instruments, weapons as well as funeral wares. The lacquer ware was in use as early as in Xia Dynasty 4,200 years ago. During the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. -220 A .D.), people took lacquer ware as their daily utility. In ancient China , the lacquer trees were planted in a large area. The great philosopher Zhuangzi in Warring States (476B.C.-221B.C.) was once the specific official taking charge of the lacquer tree garden. The early lacquer was very simple. They were made of the wooden or bamboo molds painting with lacquer. As civilization advanced, the technique such as colored pattern, liquid gold gilded decoration and so on has appeared, and different dynasties' lacquer wares have their own styles and features. In the heyday of lacquer ware in Han Dynasty, lacquer box, plant, earring, mask, chessboard, etc. came into being, with main colors of red and black. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the production of lacquer ware reached a new peak. In the period, lacquer technique began to combine with architecture and furniture production, gradually turning focus to ornamental field. In Ming Dynasty, lacquer carving was very popular.

The modern lacquer ware producing areas are Beijing , Jiangsu Province, Shanghai . Chongqing, Pingyao in Shanxi Province, Yangzhou in Nanjing Province, Dafang in Guizhou Province, Tianshui in Gansu Province, Yichun in Jiangxi Province and Fengxaing in Shanxi Province.

China has its profound fan culture, which has the close relationship with the bamboo culture and Buddhism. According to different materials, there are feather fan, silk fan, paper fan, wheat straw fan, bone folding fan and palm-leaf fan, etc. As to the functions, fan can be divided into the dancing fan, hanging fan, hat fan as well as large folding fan for decoration and so on.

The earliest fan appeared During the Yin Dynasty about 3,000 years ago. It was first made of colorful bird feathers and served as the thing for the empire to avoid sand blow by wind in the open air. After Western Han Dynasty (206B.C. -24A .D.), fan became a tool a tool to drive away heat and simulate cool breezes. During the Eastern Han Dynasty ( 25A .D. -220A .D.), fans began to be made of silk instead of feather. At that time, fan were shaped like the full moon, cashew or hexagon with the handle made of wood, bamboo, bone even ivory. The faces of fan are often painted with flower and birds as well as the water and mountain scenery. The embroidery face was also very popular. The first painted fan with calligraphy appeared during the Three State Period ( 220A .D. -280A .D.). Here is a story about the inscribed fan. Once there was a old woman who selling hexagon bamboo fans in Shaoxing , Zhejiang Province. She pleaded inscription from the famous calligraphy master Wang Xizhi. Wang jumped at the inquiry and inscribed five characters on the fan. Therefore, the price rose dramatically. When it comes to the Northern Song Dynasty, mini portable fans came into being. During the Southern Song Dynasty, it was a trend of collecting and inscribing fans and there were fan shops and merchants in cities. In modern times, many Chinese painting maters such as Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian are very good at fan inscription. The inscriptions especially out of the masters will add grate value to fans, which has become the favorite of many collectors.

Hangzhou city is famous for its fan making. First established in 1857, Wangxingji Fan Shop is one of the old brands.

Started from the East Han Dynasty (25 A.D. -220 A.D.), Chinese Lantern reached its peak during Tang Dynasty (618 A.D. - 907 A.D.) and Song (960 A.D. -1279 A.D.) Dynasties. Originally, Chinese people hung lanterns in front of their doors to drive away evil spirits. As to today, the lantern has become a symbol of traditional Chinese culture, playing an important role in celebrations and ceremonies.

Four of the most famous styles of lanterns come from the capital Beijing in North China, and Suzhou in East China.

The best traditional Beijing palace lanterns require rosewood as the skeleton and traditional-patterned thin silk or glass as covering. Besides lighting function, the palace lanterns are also valuable collections of Chinese lantern ollectors. Now they are hung in halls or other spacious rooms to add to the antique atmosphere. In contrast with Beijing palace lanterns, Suzhou-style lanterns usually have a rustic flavor. They boast a time-honored history and a delicate beauty. Early in the Song Dynasty, lanterns developed into an individual crafts industry in the area. Suzhou lanterns have various appearances, ranging from bird, flower, and fish to pavilion, terrace, tower and even human figures. Suzhou lanterns are famous for their rich color, refined processing, ingenious structure, exquisite sculpture and grand magnificence.

Chinese kite originated from the Warring States Period (476 B.C.-221 B.C.). The deft craftsman Lu Ban was said to be the inventor. His invention had the bird' s name of ‘Yuan', a kind of bird of hawk family with a long, often forked tail and a long pointed winds. He made the kite out of the thin wooden or bamboo strips. After the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. -220 A .D.), paper was introduced into the kite-making and replaced the wood and bamboo. Hence, the kite got the name ‘Zhi Yuan', as ‘Zhi' in Chinese means paper. And during the Five Dynasties Period ( 907 A .D. -960 A .D.), people tied the bamboo whistle to the kite. When the kite flying, the airflow can make the whistle sounded like Kucheng playing, hence the name ‘Fengcheng'. As the civilization advanced, making and playing the kite became very popular in Weifang area, Shandong Province during the Tang and Song Dynasties. Weifang's kite has reached its heyday during the Tang and Song Dynasties. Every year in spring when the Clear and Bright comes, the weather become warm. All most every household went out to fly the kite and have a picnic in sunny and windy days. It was an exuberant folk activity and a good time to display the kites as well as enjoy the warm weather and the fresh air. The tradition has been well kept until today and becomes the world-famous Weifang International Kite Festival, which is held between 20th to 25th in April every year.

Since Weifang has the tradition and history of kite, it is famous for its kite making. The kite making in Weifang is exquisite in style, beautiful in painting and good in quality. What's more, it has abstracted the strongpoint of wooden New Year's Painting, making its appearance more colorful, vivid, and elegant. The masterpiece of Weifang kite is giant centipedes kite with Chinese dragonhead. It is as long as 100 Chi. Making such a giant fly needs the skill. Firstly, the head part should be raised than the tail part, and then use the power from the body parts to make the head rose higher. The connections between the body parts have specially designed, which ensures the kite fly. Besides Weifang, Beijing , Tianjing, and Nantong in JIangsu Province are also famous for their characteristic kites. Craftsmen usually make the kite according to the different animals, traditional mythologies and famous novel characters.

Chinese Knot is a decorative handicraft that began as a folk art in Tang and Song Dynasties, and became popular in Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is distinctive for its complicated pattern is woven separately from one piece of thread. Chinese people have known how to tie knots using cords ever since they began learned how to attach animal fur to their bodies to keep warm thousands of years ago. As civilization advanced, Chinese people used knots for more than just fastening and wrapping. Knots were also used to record the events, while others had ornamental functions. In Chinese, ‘knot' means reunion, peace, marriage, love, acquaintance and so on. Chinese knots are often used to express the above good wishes.

The Chinese Knots are name according to their different shapes, usages and origins. The treasure knot, for example, is with the appearance of ‘Yuanbao', the Chinese ancient golden ingot. And the button knot, which has the function as the button. Each type of Chinese Knot usually has a beautiful and auspicious name. The material of the thread can be the cotton, nylon and so on, and many of them are red. The exquisitely symmetrical knots that come in so many forms are the valuable cultural heritage of China .

In the ancient time, the knots are pulled tightly and sturdily together that can be used for binding or wrapping, which making them very practical. In addition, it is endowed with high decorative value by its complicated structure. Almost all basic Chinese knots are symmetrical, which has set certain technical limitations on the design and creation of new patterns. Traditionally, symmetry pattern suites the aesthetic standards of the Chinese people well. Moreover, the symmetrical designs are the most popular among Chinese people visually.

Making the Chinese knot involves three processes, naming tying knots, tightening and adding the finishing touches. Knot- tying methods are fixed, but the tightening can determine the degree of tension in a knot, the length of loops (ears) and the smoothness and orderliness of the lines. Thus, how well a Chinese knot has been tightened can demonstrate the skill and artistic merit of a knot artist. Finishing a knot means inlaying pearls or jade stones, starching the knot into certain patterns, or adding any other final touches. Besides the Two-coin Knot, the Chinese knot is three dimensional in structure. It consists of two planes tied together leaving a hollow center. Such structure lends rigidity to the work as a whole and keeps its shape when hung on the wall. The hollow center also allows for the addition of precious stones, such as the jade.

The endless variations and elegant patterns of the Chinese knot, as well as the multitude of different materials that used have expanded the functions and widened the applications of the Chinese knot. Jewelry, clothes, gift-wrapping and furniture can be accentuated with unique Chinese knot creations. The Chinese knot has been served as both the fixtures and decoration of palace halls and the daily implements of countryside households since long time ago. Large Chinese knot served as wall hangings have the same decorative value as fine paintings or photographs, and are perfectly suitable for decorating a parlor or study as well as the hall. The Chinese knot, with its classic elegance and ever- changing patterns, is both practical and ornamental, fully reflecting the grace of Chinese culture.

Silk is one of the China's contributions to the world. China is the first country to manufacture and use silk. According to the legend, Lai Zu, wife of the Yellow Emperor, taught the ancient Chinese people the technique of sericulture. Since the ancient times, silk has been one of China's exports. Chinese fine silks were exported during the Western Han Dynasty in the second century B.C.. A portion of the exports was shipped to Korean and Japan, but the majority was carried in camels' back along the famous caravan route known as the ‘Silk Road' to the Middle East, and eventually reaching Western Europe.

Traditionally, girls in towns and cities learned the skill at their early age, which will give them an advantage when they are going to marry. Embroidery was first developed by local wemen to decorate their clothes, pouches and bedclothes. With its designs rich in life and full of colors, it has gradually developed into a national art. What's more, China's large production of silk has promoted the development of embroidery and brocade art. The four most famous types of embroidery in China are from Jiangsu, Hunan, Guangdong and Sichuan Provinces. The most famous styles of brocades are Yunjin from Nanjing, Songjin from Suzhou, amd Shujin from Sichuan. There are other well known styles of brocade made by minority peoples, such as Zhuang people in Guangxi, Dai people in Yunnan, and Li people in Hainan.

Early embroidery had the design and patterns only on one side, while thereverse side had irregular stitches and threadends. Later the skills of the double side embroidery evolved. Both sides of embroidery can be displayed in the same design and different colors. For example, a peony design would be red ion one side and yellow on the opposite side.

Batik is one of China 's ancient traditional printing and dyeing techniques. Taking wax as resistance, the technique can give a special white-blue pattern to textile. People first paint the pattern with wax on textile, then during the dyeing, the part painted with wax remains white. At the same time, the textile is endowed with many natural drain marks by chapped wax, which makes batik a special charm. For its rich pattern, simple but elegant color and ethnic style, batik is very popular in China .

The technique gained great development during Western Zhou Dynasty (2nd century B.C.-771 B.C.) after it was invented. According to Book of Rites, there were officials who took charge of textile dyeing at time. By this, one can see how long the history batik has in China . In Xinjiang area, Mogao Grottoes and other areas, there are many unearthed batiks. Among these cultural relics, the ones of the Northern Dynasty were white-bark blue. And the ones of Tang Dynasty get the background of brown and yellow, what's more, most of them have white patterns.

In the southern part of China , especially in ethnic minority group area in Guizhou Provicne, batik technique has been handed down from generation to generation. It is very popular among the area, which has been one of the indispensable parts of ethnic minority women in their daily life. There is an ancient song about batik‘s origin in Miao minority area. There was a smart girl who was not satisfied with the monochrome clothes, wishing to have colorful patterns dyeing on the skirt. Thinking of painting one by one has too much trouble; however, she could not work out other way. One day, she fell asleep among the flowers. When she waked up, she found that the bees had left dotted beeswax on her skirt. She thought it did not look good, so tried to cover it by indigo blue dye. After dyeing, she surprisingly found that the places of beeswax turned out to be the beautiful white patterns. By the inspiration, she painted the cloth with beeswax and dyed it in indigo blue. She was so glad that she found out the way to make the beautiful cloth, hence sangt the song happily. Once heard her songs, people came to her and learnt how to dye the patterns. By this way, the technique spread out among the Miao and Buyi people.

In Huangping area and Danzhai County in Guizhou Province , the Miao people take batik as their principle ornament. The women's scarf, skirt, clothes and leg wrappings as well as some daily utilities, such as bag and handkerchief are made of batik textile. In Anshun and Puding area, Miao women take the batik shreds as their sleeve and rim ornament. Besides blue, they add other colors such as red, yellow and green to the textile. The batiks from different ethnic minorities have their own features. The Miao people's, for example, has the same pattern as the ancient brown drum, and the subject matter of folk stories. Among the patterns, there also are flowers, birds, fishes and so on. As to the Buyi people, they are fond of using geometric patterns on batik. In China , the home to batik is the city of Anshun in Guizhou Province . In 1992, the city held the first International batik festival, attracting many guests both from home and abroad. There are numerous workshops and craftsmen in the city, gaining the art of batik great development. The city also is the important tourism city and transpiration hub of Guizhou Province . The famous Huangguoshu Waterfall is in the area.

For thousands of years, the carving of jade has been an intrinsic part of Chinese culture. The history of jade in China can be dated back to Shang Dynasty (16th century – 1066 B.C.)when jade was used as a medium of exchange. Traditionally, Chinese people thought jade is the most precious stones, a sacred material that containing the quintessence of virtue. In the early times jade was confined to ritual purely ornamental objects such as the jewelry, dress accessories and items of personal adornment. In imperial times jade was regarded as a symbol of wealth and rank. It is widely believed by Chinese people that jade transmits its superior qualities to the one who wears it, wards off the evil and protect the wearer from misfortune. For this reason, jade bracelets are given to the children as an auspicious gift.

Chinese jade appears in nature in a great variety of ways.The jade carving industry in China now uses 30 types of jade and precious stones including nephrite, jadeite, lapis lazuli, turquoise, agate and malachite. The majority of Chinese jade is used to make jade articles and objects, with small amounts of best quality jade set aside for jewelry manufacture. Jade carving is one of the highest achievements in Chinese handicrafts. In ancient China, jade was revered and used as ritual objects notably for Buddhist figurines.

Clay Figurines Zhang is a school of clay figurine in Northern China, which was initiated by Zhang Mingshan in the late Qing Dynasty. Zhang was born in a poor family in Tianjin city, who learned the skill of clay figurines from his father at a very young age. Zhang was clever, deft and full of imagination. He carefully observed people from different walks of life, so that he would make clay figurines of people he met vividly. Clay figurines created by Zhang include heroes and villains from Chinese folk stories, novels, and operas as well as scenes from daily life.

People liked his clay figurines very much and gave him the nickname of Clay Figurine Zhang.

Stone lion is carved out of stone, which is the common ornament in Chinese traditional architecture, such as imperial palace, temple, Buddha pagoda, bridge, mausoleum, mansion, gardens and so on. Generally, stone lion refers to the paired lions outside the gate; however, their appearances turn out to be the lions we are not familiar with. Maybe the most people in central plains of ancient China had never seen the real lion. There is another saying that the lion of ancient Western Region is distinctive from the ones of Africa .

It is said that the lion was introduced into China in Han Dynasty (206B.C. -220 A .D.) from the Western Region. In Chinese culture, lion is a mythical figure rather than a real animal. Together with Kylin, lion is regarded as the divine beast. After its introduction, lion gradually became the mascot outside the gate, for Chinese people think that lion can drive away the evil spirits. Another saying of why take stone lion as the gate keeper is related to the pronunciation of stone lion (Shishi) in Chinese. Stone sounds like ‘Shi' in Chinese with the meaning of solid, and the second ‘Shi' referring to lion sounds similar to ‘Si', with the meaning of ‘to think about'. As the whole, stone lion has the moral that it is difficult to start and keep a business.

The appearances of different dynasties stones lions are distinctive. The ones of Han and Tang Dynasties are strong and intrepid, the thin but powerful ones are from Yuan Dynasty. As to the stone lions of Ming and Qing Dynasties, they appeared more meek and gentle. Besides, stone lions have the obvious local features. As a whole, the lions from the northern China are more decent and simple-carved, while the lions from the South are more vivid and alive with many matching accessory sculptures. The stone lion usually is carved based on Xumizuo, a kind of architectural ornament frequently used as the base for decent building or carving. Most of lions have curly hairs.

he location of the stone lion is settled in China . Generally, it should be a pair of lions with female in the right hand side and male the left according to Chinese traditional Yin and Yang philosophy. The female lion is usually carved to have a child lion between her paws, while the male lion is playing a ball with one paw. When people enter the building, the female lion should be at the left hand side and the male at the right. However, there are the exceptions, such as the stone lions outside the Temple of Guan Yu in Jiayu Pass and the stone lions standing in front of the Confucian Temple in Qufu , Shandong Province. One can see the famous stone lions before the Tian'anmen Rostrum, the Altar of Land and Grain in Zhongshan Park and Peking University as well as Lugou Bridge in Beijing.

Root carving is one of China 's traditional arts. China has a time-honored history of root carving. The earliest existing root carving unearthed in 1980 in Hubei Province is believed to be made during the Warring State about 3,000 years ago. According to the historical records, the daily utility, ornament and furniture made of root came into being in Southern Qi period ( 420A .D. -479A .D.). In one of his poems, Tang poet Han Yu described a root-carving figure vividly. During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, some painters began to focus on root-carving painting. In Qing Dynasty, root carving reached a new peaking, and there were many artist specialized root carving. Today many valuable root carvings are kept in the Imperial Palca in Beijing and Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai .

The process of root carving has four steps. First step is to select the material. The quality of the root should be tough and firm. As to the shape, it should possess its own feature, which has the great effect on later creation. As root carving featured originality, the creator should make the best use of material's original shape and natural beauty. He or she must find out the best conception according to the selected root, and try their best to keep the traits of root, such as fibers, holes and veins. The principle is three-tenths of the work is done by man, and the rest seven is determined by nature. That's the second step. Then the root will be sawed, clipped or polished. Different method will be employed according to the shape of root. The final step is to color or lacquer the products.

According to different usage, root carving can be mainly divided into two categories. The applied root carving is endowed with the practical function as well as the ornamental value. They can served as chairs, tables, sofas, screens, flower shelves and so on. In addition, there are ornamental root carvings. This kind of carving is only used as decoration, which takes a large portion of all root carvings. They are shaped into numerous animals, flowers and human figures.