Discover the ancient Chinese treasures


Visiting China is like plunging into a treasure house laden with ancient arts & crafts. Here you can discover an unparalleled collections of tangibles born from China's 5,000-year cultivation.The following are but a short list.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Silk


China is the earliest country to produce silk in the world, dated to 4,500 years ago. The beautiful and unique silk of China was exported to Europe through the Silk Road and was greatly admired by European people.

Silk is one of the best materials for clothing in the world. Reputed to be ¡°the queen¡± of fabrics, it is light, lustrous and durable. Also it has the advantages of being soft to touch, resistant to heat, and breathing very well. Chinese people use imaginations to weave silk into dazzling varieties of dresses (Qipao), satins and embroideries.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tea


"Tea is a unique, real and civilized drink and is the embodiment of politeness and spiritual purity." Tea-drinking is loved by Chinese scholars and artists, and they have developed it into a complicated process and aesthetic enjoyment.

What is the benefit of drinking tea? It will not only quench thirst, overcome fatigue, but help digestion. Tea leaves contain some aromatic substances that can dissolve fat and reduce blood pressure. Tea is also known to be rich in various vitamins, notably Vitamin C. Scientific tests in recently years have also discovered a new effect of drinking tea, i.e., radiation protection. This is attributable to the phenols in the contents of tea leaves which can absorb radioactive strontium.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Painting & Calligraphy


Traditional Chinese painting is a combination of poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal engraving. The supreme doctrine of a good artwork is ¡°painting in poetry and poetry in painting¡±. In order to ¡°make the form show the spirit¡±, Chinese artists have always embraced free expressional styles, such as the shifting perspective and the mobile focal point, to reach a state of ¡°likeness in spirit resides in unlikeness¡±.

Nature is the most beloved inspiration and theme. Ancient artists liked to paint mountains, rivers and objects like pine tree, bamboo, orchid and plum blossoms, into which they endow good human-qualities like integrity, fortitude and sacrifice.

Calligraphy is the art of writing when the free spirit plays with the immense potential of Chinese characters; there are hundreds of ways to write one character. Chinese people believe calligraphy reveals a person's real character.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chinese Medicine


Totally different from the principles of western medicine, theories of traditional Chinese medicine emphasize the balance of the whole body, which is controlled by YIN (negative) and YANG (positive). In the treatment process, the diagnostic procedure involves four steps: observing, listening and smelling, inquiring, and palpating.

Chinese doctors endeavor to treat the whole human body and its inner energy, not only the symptom. The herb-made pills are purely natural and can be taken long-term with no side-effects.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jade & Pearl


Jade & Pearl are two valuable natural treasures high appreciated by Chinese people. For thousands of years up to the present day, they have been a symbol of love and virtue, as well as a symbol of nobility.

Jade, for its hardness & pure color, are believed to be able to ward off bad spirit and gather good spirit. Emperors used jade-made seals to symbolize their supreme power. ¡°There is a price for gold but no price for jade!¡±

Pearl necklaces, bracelets, earrings and pins were only for noble families in the past. People believe pearl has the effect of preserving a woman's youth & beauty; emperors & empresses were even buried wearing jade & pearl made clothes.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Porcelain


No one will wonder whether China is true land of porcelain, as China got it name from its famous ¡° China ¡±. Perhaps the most well-known craftwork in the world, Chinese porcelain was highly acclaimed and sought after throughout the history, and of course, is still today.

The technique of making porcelain has achieved high-advanced scale in china and so we get to enjoy a large variety of fabulous porcelain wares, exhibiting an excellent combination of shape, glaze and decoration. The elegant look of Chinese porcelain wares has always been a world art collector's favorite, perfect for home decoration.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cloisonn¨¦


Cloisonn¨¦, the most famous Beijing craftwork, with a history dating back over 500 years, is the traditional enamelware, typically called the "Blue of Jingtai" as blue is the dominant color adopted for enameling and Cloisonn¨¦ became prevalent during the reign of Jingtai (1450--1456) in the Ming Dynasty.

Owing to its brilliant colors and splendid designs, Cloisonn¨¦ has been highly appraised both in China and abroad. The making of Cloisonne involves quite elaborate and complicated processes: base-hammering, soldering, enamel-filling, enamel firing, polishing and gilding.