Chinese Craft
Chinese Craft explores the materials, techniques and traditions behind Chinese jewelry and decorative arts. From chalcedony and jade to carving, knotting and precious materials, this category explains the craftsmanship that has shaped Chinese culture for centuries.
Cinnabar Red: Why This Ancient Chinese Color Represents Fire
From mineral pigment and imperial architecture to Five Element symbolism and contemporary jewelry, cinnabar red 朱砂紅 carries a Chinese story far deeper than its color alone.
The Chinese Floral Sphere: From Xiuqiu to Contemporary Chinese Jewelry
In Chinese decorative art a flower is rarely just a flower. How the 繡球 (xiuqiu) tradition of floral ornament travels from textile and architecture into contemporary Chinese jewelry.
The Language of Color: What the Forbidden City’s Colors Really Mean
Vermilion walls, imperial yellow roofs, a green roof in the east and one almost black. A guide to reading the Forbidden City through color, material and the Five Elements.
What Is Pink Hetian Jade? A Guide to Qinghai 藕粉玉
Named after lotus root powder, 藕粉玉 is a soft pink-toned Qinghai Hetian jade prized for its warmth, translucency and quiet water lines.
What Is Pixiu (貔貅)? The Guardian Beast of Chinese Craft
Winged, fierce and famously without an exit, Pixiu has guarded Chinese homes, tombs and treasuries for two thousand years — and it remains one of the most carved figures in Chinese craft.
What Is Chalcedony? The Stone Behind Chinese Craftsmanship
Often mistaken for jade, chalcedony has been treasured in Chinese craftsmanship for centuries for its beauty, durability and remarkable variety of colors.