Huizhou Lacquerware

Huizhou Lacquerware

　　　　With a history of over 100 years, it is made from raw lacquer extracted from natural plants, mixed with colored minerals and animal materials such as turquoise, cinnabar, coral, blue vein ore, and vermilion (known as earth lacquer or pineapple lacquer). Items lacquered with it—such as inkstone boxes, fruit boxes, pen holders, pen shafts, Huizhou baskets, and vases—are colorful and strikingly beautiful. During the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, Huizhou lacquerware artisans crafted sandalwood-textured inkstones using earth lacquer, with wooden inner molds coated in raw lacquer. These inkstones were small, rustic, and portable, rivaling the quality of stone inkstones. The integration of lacquerware and bamboo weaving techniques resulted in products adorned with painted colors and gold leaf, making them both attractive and durable—a unique handicraft with distinctive local characteristics.