Guarding lacquerware's lustrous legacy

Artisan dives deep into researching craft's history to master the tradition while adding innovations and passing his skills on to future generations, Zheng Zheng reports in Huangshan, Anhui.

In a gray-tiled house along Liyang Old Street in Huangshan city, East China's Anhui province, sits an extraordinary studio. It is the workshop of Gan Erke, a master of Chinese lacquerware and inheritor of the Huizhou lacquerware decoration technique — a national-level intangible cultural heritage.

Gan devoted his life to creating exquisite lacquerware pieces while reviving some elements of the craft that were close to being lost. His aim is to elevate this ancient art form to new heights while preserving its essence and maintaining China's world-class standards.

Lacquerware, an ancient decorative technique, involves coating objects with natural sap from lacquer trees. China is considered its birthplace, as evidenced by findings from the Jingtoushan site in East China's Zhejiang province, revealing that ancient Chinese were among the first to utilize lacquer tree sap some 8,000 years ago.

The Huizhou lacquerware technique, with its thousand-year history, is known for its refinement and elegance, contrasting with northern China's more robust style. The local craft reached its zenith during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Creating lacquerware demands patience and precision. A single piece requires at least three to four months, or even a year, to complete. The process involves multiple steps — forming the base, sanding, applying coats of colored lacquer, drying, repeating lacquer coats and drying dozens of times, followed by sanding the finish, buffing and polishing — resulting in a brilliant surface with dynamic patterns in contrasting hues.