Pingyao Polished Lacquer Wares

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Jewelry Box

Furniture

Pingyao polished lacquer wares can date back to more than 1200 years ago in the Kaiyuan period of Tang Dynasty. In 1917, six painters in Pingyao including Qiao Shengrui and Ren Maolin cofounded Hecheng Workshop, which produced lacquer wares. Most of their products with a special style and high quality were sold out in foreign countries like Japan and France. In 1937, after the anti-Japanese war broke out, they stopped their business, and after 1950s Pingyao polished lacquer wares started entering the market and thrived again.

The polished painted devices are made of lacquer trees，which is also called old lacquer tree or big lacquer tree. The making procedure is unique. Firstly, select the suitable woods and make models. Then paint the models with pig blood and brick powder and polish them. Next paint the models with the natural old paint and polish them. This step has to be repeated for many times. At last, polish the surface with sesame oil，and then after refinement, golden and colorful painting, a variety of pictures such as mountains, rivers, pavilions and pillars, rare animals and plants will appear which are shiny like a mirror. Therefore they are also called the golden lacquer furniture. The polished lacquer wares, with shiny and smooth surface, exquisite painting, distinctive colors, and proportionate lines, can not only be used for decoration because of their unique national feature and local style, but have practical values as well, because they are smart but firm, water-proof and can stand the high temperature.