An ethnic Yi boy from Juilong village near Zhongdian starts to create a lacquered bowl. Lacquer, which is highly toxic in the raw form, is extract
An ethnic Yi boy from Juilong village near Zhongdian starts to create a lacquered bowl. Lacquer, which is highly toxic in the raw form, is extracted from the sap of the lac tree indigenous to China. The process of lacquering wood and other materials was invented in China and used to waterproof bamboo and wooden objects as early as Neolithic times. Intricate designs on the bowls represent the family's clan. Lacquer was the symbol of wealth and status (ten times more expensive than bronze) before China's socialist revolution when collective farms did not allow the time for the laborious lacquer process, and an end to the feudal system did not allow possession of the bowls. In Juilong, lacquer has been making a comeback in recent years, sponsored by an Australian scholar, Ben Hillman, who has established a school teaching the forgotten art.
Size: 3528px × 5414px
Photo credit: © Leisa Tyler / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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