China boasts a wide variety of arts and crafts renowned for excellent workmanship. Under the protection of the Chinese government, many have been handed down to this very day. Many are sold abroad to an appreciative overseas market.
Special arts and crafts, a combination of precious or special materials, elaborate design and process, are elegant and graceful. Jade carving craftsmen, taking advantage of the natural lines, luster and colors of their jadestone raw material, ingeniously match the shape of the craft-piece to that of the jade, fully displaying the glory of nature. Jingtai cloisonné enamel, well known at home and abroad, gets its name from the fine blue glaze variety produced during the Jingtai reign of the Ming Dynasty. Inlaid with copper strip, gilded and silvered, its magnificent products include bottles, bowls, and trophy cups. Varied folk arts and crafts are marked by strong local flavors and ethnic styles. In terms of technique, Chinese folk arts fall into the categories of cutting, bundling, plaiting, knitting, embroidering, carving, molding and painting.
