Grape Constant

Grape Constant

　　In October of the lunar calendar in 1894, Emperor Guangxu held a grand 60th birthday celebration for Empress Dowager Cixi at the Summer Palace. As Cixi was on her way to the grand theater to watch a performance, she suddenly noticed a vine of grapes laden with fruit, crystal clear and glistening. It was already October in the lunar calendar, and Beijing had entered winter. Seeing such fresh and lustrous grapes delighted her eyes and made her mouth water. She ordered them to be picked and eaten. The eunuch hurriedly replied, "Those are fake." Cixi was astonished and asked who had made them. Upon investigation, she learned that they were created by Han Qihabo and his wife. Overjoyed, Cixi bestowed upon Han’s wife the title of “Changzai” (a court lady rank) and awarded a plaque inscribed with “Tianyi Chang” (Heavenly Elegance Constant). Out of gratitude, Han Qihabo changed his name to Changzai, and his family adopted the surname “Chang.” “Grape Constant” quickly became famous all over the capital.

　　The founder of Grape Constant, Changzai, was of Mongolian ethnicity. During the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, the imperial palace selected a princess from Mongolia to come to Beijing, and Changzai accompanied her as part of her entourage. After Emperor Xianfeng ascended the throne, the Mongolian Banners lost their “stipends,” and Changzai had to make a living by running small businesses. One day, he saw children playing with clay toys, which inspired him. He went home and began experimenting with molding grapes out of clay, coloring and firing them, then selling them on the street — they became very popular. Around that time, the area outside Chongwenmen Gate, particularly around Huashi, had already gathered a number of artisans making silk flowers, jade artifacts, jewelry, and glassware, forming a bustling market. Changzai also learned from glass artisans, trying to make grapes out of glass, which turned out more lifelike and beautiful than the clay versions, almost indistinguishable from real grapes. Thus, he continued refining and innovating his glass grape craft, eventually creating a unique style and establishing this exceptional handicraft.

　　In 1919, Grape Constant was invited to participate in the highly influential Panama International Exposition, where it won first prize, spreading its fame both domestically and internationally. After the passing of Changzai’s two sons, his three daughters carried on the family business. To preserve their inherited craftsmanship, none of the three sisters married. Additionally, Changzai’s two granddaughters, Chang Yuling and Chang Yuqing, sympathized with their aunts’ fate and also vowed to remain unmarried, dedicating their lives to passing down the Grape Constant artistry. These five women — four aunts and one niece — sacrificed their youth and love, remaining unmarried for life.

　　The catastrophe of the Cultural Revolution in 1966 also affected the Chang women. Amid confusion and suffering, four of the Chang women passed away. After the Cultural Revolution ended, when authorities attempted to revive “Grape Constant,” only Chang Yuling remained as the sole surviving heir of the Chang family — and she was already 70 years old. In 1978, despite her advanced age and frail health, Chang Yuling personally handled every step, from building the stove and blowing glass beads to applying the frost effect. She also imparted the family’s secret techniques to Chang Hong and Chang Yan without reservation.

　　In 2004, by chance, they came across a media report about the long-lost “Grape Constant” having other surviving heirs. The sisters then sought out Yu Zhihai, Secretary-General of the Beijing Folk Artists Association, and expressed their desire, as the fifth-generation inheritors of Grape Constant, to revive this over 200-year-old traditional craft. Thus, sisters Chang Hong and Chang Yan started by sourcing raw materials, and after going through multiple processes including melting the material, shaping rods, adding color, blowing and sculpting, and final forming, they spent over three months in trial production and finally created their first one-square-meter grape bonsai in 2004. To ensure that their work could represent the family’s inherited techniques, the sisters sought out Li Shuhui, the only person outside the family to whom the Grape Constant technique had ever been taught. They invited her to authenticate their work. The then 70-something-year-old woman was astonished at the sight of the “grapes” before her. In the same year, the works of Chang Hong and Chang Yan were exhibited at the China Millennium Monument during the 55th National Day Folk Art Exhibition, bringing this folk masterpiece back to public view.