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Crafts & design

Everyday China

Who imagined “Chinoiserie”?

A European fashion for China-inspired decoration tells us as much about Europe as about China.

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Everyday China

How did blue and white travel?

Blue-and-white porcelain became famous in China while drawing on and inspiring wider exchanges.

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History, Arts & Traditions

Looking closely at Yungang’s carved Buddhist world

Yungang’s cave layouts, giant figures and carved details show how Buddhist art developed in a particular Northern Wei setting.

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History, Arts & Traditions

What’s holding up the roof?

Interlocking timber brackets can look decorative while doing serious structural work.

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History, Arts & Traditions

How do you cast a pattern in bronze?

Early Chinese bronze vessels could begin as a puzzle made from clay pieces.

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History, Arts & Traditions

Why is celadon green?

Longquan's celadon colour is a kiln decision as well as a glaze recipe.

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History, Arts & Traditions

Why is a seal more than a signature?

A carved seal can identify someone and become an artwork in its own right.

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History, Arts & Traditions

How much work is inside a silk thread?

UNESCO’s sericulture account describes a practical connection that a scarf label would never show. Silkworm waste goes into village fish ponds. Mud from…

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History, Arts & Traditions

Can a tree become a shiny box?

Traditional lacquer is built from tree sap and patient layers, not a quick coat of paint.

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History, Arts & Traditions

How many people make one bowl?

At the Hutian Ancient Kiln site, UNESCO identifies bluish-white porcelain production from the tenth to the thirteenth century. The surviving production…

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