Beijing Glassware

Beijing glassware is a traditional handicraft of Beijing, which is a traditional handicraft made of colored glaze strips, which began in Ming Dynasty and was introduced from Boshan County, Shandong Province. After melting and softening the colored glaze at low temperature, it is made into other items, among which the most characteristic is the snuff bottle.
Initially, Beijing glassware products were mainly small decorative items, such as beads, earrings, corsages, buttons, etc., but also large items such as lamps and fish tanks. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the emperor ordered the Ministry of Industry to set up a royal workshop in Beijing Liulichang. By this time, the craft of glassware had become more and more refined, and the ornamental nature of the work was enhanced. Nowadays, there are more than 1,800 varieties of Beijing glassware products, including figures, hanging screens, smoking utensils, bonsai, flowers, birds and fish insects, as well as cap flowers and material beads.
Beijing glassware started from making fake goods (imitation stones). After years of experience accumulated by the artists, coupled with the adoption of modern technology, today's glassware can imitate high-grade various types of jade and gemstones at will, becoming an independent art discipline that is popular among collectors at home and abroad. On June 7, 2008, the glassware (Beijing glassware) was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.