What is gold inlaid Lacquer? Lacquer art, with its earliest and most widely used form being lacquer painting, always means the combination of lacquer and pigment. Besides using pigment, lacquer art also means the combination of lacquer and gold. When gold lacquer meets inlaying, inlaid gold lacquer ware is born.

Gold Inlaid lacquer ware combines the intricate skills of carving, filling, whetting, inlaying and painting. It features a gold lacquered surface inlaid with various gems and other exotic materials.

Gold inlaid lacquer ware has a prominent three thousand year old history. It was first introduced to Beijing in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and then flourished under the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), respectively.

During the Ming Dynasty, the imperial palace was decorated with gold inlaid lacquer ware. Qing emperors also favoured the designs and styles of Beijing gold inlaid lacquer ware and ordered many plates, boxes, tables, beds and other furniture to be created for their personal use. Hence, in the most splendid palace complex, the Forbidden City, tourists can witness most amazing

Where to see:

The Palace Museum

In the heart of the city, the Forbidden City is hailed as the icon of Beijing. As the royal residences of emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties from the 15th to 20th century, it was constructed about 600 years ago and witnessed the enthronement of 14 Ming and 10 Qing emperors over the following 505 years. The Forbidden City was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. It is now the Palace Museum and receives about 70 thousand visitors every day.

Address: #4 Jingshanqian Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 北京市东城区景山前街4号