Painted pottery in different styles dates as far as the Yangshao culture in the Neolithic Period and these handmade works vividly depict life 6,000 years ago. In the Shang Dynasty (16th century-11th century BC), Chinese people mastered the art of casting bronze and created a great numbero fexquisite works. It was also marked by the early development of jade, stone, bone and ivory carving as well as silk weaving. The great creative power and intelligence of the Chinese people are reflected in these ancient works.

During the long period of feudal society, which lasted from the 5th centry BC to the mid-19th century, the development of traditional arts and crafts produced many marvellous works. Some of them have been brought to light after burial underground for 1,000 or 2,000 years and are regarded as treasures in mankind's cultural history.

China's handicraft articles also found their way into overseas markets as an important medium of exchange with other countries. For instance, Chinese silk, following a route known later as the Silk Road, reached the distant Roman Empire along the coast of the Mediterranean in the Han(206BC-AD220) and Tang(168-907) dynasties, and China enjoyed fame as the Land of Silk in the East. Chinese porcelain also enjoyed a high reputation in the world and its export to European and other Asian countries can be traced back to very early times. China became the English word for porcelain.

However, the handicraft industry suffered greatly from the middle of the 19th century to the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1949. Some crafts demonstrated lopsided development; others fell into stagnation, decline or extinction.

Since the founding of the New China, the traditional handicraft industry has been given much support. Trades on the verge of extinction and techniques fallen into disuse have been revived and developed rapidly.

Handicraft articles in China generally fall into two categories:special handiwork once popular in the imperial courts, and folk handiworks.

1. Special Handiworks

Palace handicraft articles were made of valuable materials by skilled craftsmen.It often took years, even a lifetime, to finish one article.All those that have been handed down are regarded as national treasures.Ivory carving, jade carving, carved lacquerware, carved agate, enamel ware, cloisonnes and gold and silver inlay were all done inside the imperial palace in the capital.There were many imperial workshops for manufacturing exquisite handicrafts, such as the Wensi Academy, in the Song dynasty(960-1279) and Renzhi Hall, in the Ming Dynasty (1644-1911).No one was permitted to go into these workshop except craftsmen, and their precious works were only for the emperors and the nobility to appreciate.

In New China, the special handicraft articles mainly include carvings of jade and wood, choisonnes and lacquerware, in addition to traditional arts and crafts such as pottery, artificial flower making and handicraft painting.

Jade Carving--Jade carving, the oldest craft in human history, dates back to the late Old stone age in china, a country rich in deposits of jade materials such as white jade, jadeite, agate and rock crystal.

Two major stone-carving centers are in Qingtian, Zhejiang Province and Shoushan, Fujian Province.There people use the natural qualities of local stone and open work techniques to carve in the round and in relief.Liuyang, in Hunan Province, is known fro its chrysanthemum stone carvings, executed from local ammonite with chrysanthemum-veined shell.

Ink slabs, the stones used fro grinding ink fro traditional Chinese brush writing, are an important expression of Chinese stone carving.Suan ink slabs, from zhaoqing, in Guangdong Province, and She ink slabs, from shexian county, in Anhui Province, have a smooth texture and finely executed designs.

Wood Carving-- In the old days wood carving was mostly limited to religious subjects and architectural and furniture decoration. Now artisans use boxwood, camphorwood, longanwood and the natural features of tree roots, along with techniques such as gilding, to create ornaments and items for everyday use such as suitcases, trunks, screens and cupboards.dongyang wood carving from Zhejiang Province is famous for its relief technique.

Cloisonne--Cloisonne is a kind of decorative enamelware for which artisans fix delicate copper strips, bent into designs, to the surface of a metal art object.The areas within the strips are ten filled with enamel pastes of different colors and the copper strips soldered, before the object is baked.Then the object is gilded, resulting in a shining combination of metal and enamel. Decorative cloisonne works include plates, vases, stoves and jars; functional ones include table lamps, fruit dishes, stationery and smoking sets. Beijing is a major producer of cloisonne.Many of its products have been selected as gifts fro foreign guests.

Lacquerware--Archaeological finds show that lacquerwarecame into existence as early as the Warring Sates period(475-221BC) and reached a fairly high level during the Han Dynasty (206BC-220 AD).the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing(1644-1911) periods witnessed a rich variety of lacquerware, such as red and black, gold-tracery, and silver and gold-inlay lacquerware.The major centres for lacquerware are in Beijing, Fuzhou and Yangzhou.

Pottery and Porcelain--Pottery and porcelain are traditional Chinese arts and crafts with a long history.Porcelain from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China's famous porcelain capital, is known for its white color, delicate forms and varied design, especially blue and pink designs.liling porcelain from Hunan Province is famous fro its white color and five-colour glazed designs.Tangshan porcelain from Hebei Province is characterized by its revival of ancient decorating methods and its successful trial production of crystalline glaze.

Yixing in Jiangsu Province, a noted pottery center, produces red ware with a close texture, and of simple and unsophisticated form.The unique tricolored glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty, in Luoyang, Henan Province is world-famous.

2. Folk Arts and Crafts

Folk arts and crafts are created by and for the ordinary people and are closely related to their daily life; many owe much to local customs.the cheap materials and speed of execution of folk arts and crafts mean that they are produced in great quantities, and workshops and individual artisans can be found all over the country.The most famous folk arts and crafts include embroidery, carpets, wovenwork, clay and dough toys, kites, paper cuts and decorative lanterns.

Embroidery--Embroidery is a traditional occupation of Chinese women.Hand-embroidery artisans utilize several dozen types of stitches to represent the texture, color and three-dimensional and spatial effects of different object.China's four famous embroideries are those of Suzhou, Hunan, Sichuan and Guangdong. Suzhou embroidery is famous for its cats and goldfish. Hunan's for lions and tigers, Sichuan's for lotus carp, cocks and cockcombs, and Guangdong especially for its" Hundreds of Birds Worship the Phoenix," which is set against the sun, green pines, bamboo and red plum blossoms.

Carpets--carpets are made by weaving pure colored wool over cotton thread.Chinese carpets are world famous fro their thickness, resilience and design.decorative tapestries, a kind of carpet, cover a wide range of motifs, such as human figure, buildings, landscapes, and episodes from legends.China's major carpet producers are Beijing, Tianjing, Shaanxi, Xinjiang and Tibet.

Wovenwork--This is now very popular in China.The main materials are wild plants and by-products of agricultural production, such as bamboo, rattan, straw and willow twigs.The Shu mats hand-plaited from bamboo slivers in Anhui Province have beautiful designs and fine texture.Round fans made from fine bamboo slivers in Zigong, Sichuan Province, are only 20 centimeters in diameter but their surfaces are decorated with glossy designs of landscapes, flowers or birds.

Clay and Dough Toys--Toys molded out of clay or dough are popular in all parts of the country.Clay toys can be traced back to as early as the Hemudu culture period (c.4800 BC)., when kneaded pottery pigs, sheep, birds and human heads were made.In today's China, traditional clay toys created by the clay sculptor, Zhang, from Tianjin, and those made at Huishan in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, are most famous.the old artisan Zhang Ming, fourth generation of his family to work at this craft, now heads the Workshop of Clay Sculptor Zhang, in Machang Lu, Tianjin.

Kites--Chinese people fly kites during festivals almost every where in the country.Originally called"paper eagles," kites fall into two categories:"hard wing," which means that the wing of kite is fixed; and "soft wing," which can flap like a real bird's.Traditional patterns for kites include eagles, dragonflies, butterflies, bates, phoenixes and goldfish.Kites are popular in Tianjin, Nantong and Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, Weifang in Shandong Province and Beijing.

Papercuts--This folk art is very popular in rural areas.Flowers, birds, animals, landscapes and human figures are cut from colored paper and pasted on lintels, windows or wedding furniture to express good wished and beautify the environment.Papercuts vary in styles in different parts of the country.For example, on the northwestern plateaux they are unconstrained and humble, depicting camels, sheep and carriages.In southeast China, where rivers and lakes are abundant, papercuts are usually delicate and exquisite, depicting swimming fish, scarab beetles or lotuses.

Lanterns--In China lanterns re a symbol of joy, adding a festive touch to wedding, birthdays shop openings and New Year. The lantern Festival falls on the 15th day in the first lunar month, when lanterns are hung everywhere.

The tradition of hanging up lanterns started in the Han Dynasty and they have been growing more varied ever since. They are made out of bamboo sliver and colored paper in the shape of fish, flowerbaskets, boats, horses and pavilions.