The art of making inside-painted snuff bottles is a unique type of national handicraft that emerged after the introduction of snuff into China. Its techniques are mainly handed down in Beijing, Hebei, Shandong and Shantou, forming a variety of genres. After the introduction of snuff bottles into Beijing, they were used by the imperial family, princes and ministers, as well as by the dignitaries. In addition to the imperial family, the folk artists also made snuff bottles in large scale. Between about 1890 and 1945, the development of inside-painted snuff bottles reached its peak with the emergence of the "Four Great Masters of Inside-painted Snuff Bottles," namely Zhou Leyuan, Ding Erzhong, Ma Shaoxuan, and Ye Zhongsan, creating the first inside-painted snuff bottles in Beijing.

The inside-painted snuff bottles of Beijing are a witness to the development of China's tobacco industry during the Ming and Qing dynasties. As a special craft, it not only includes traditional folk technologies such as carving, inlay and filigree, but also brings together a variety of Chinese and Western painting techniques, becoming a microcosm of the development of handicraft techniques at that time. The paintings of inside-painted snuff bottles mostly show the history and culture of China, which are of great appreciation and research value. At present, due to the low profit and long learning period, most of the practitioners have changed their jobs. The phenomenon that experienced craftsmen are unwilling to do the work and newcomers are reluctant to learn has led to the endangered situation of the inside-painted snuff bottles of Beijing. The preservation has become imminent.

Translator: ZHAO Huinan