Category: Chinese Culture

Goldbeating techniques are used to hammer gold into extremely thin leaves for Buddhist image or household article decoration. The goldbeating techniques of Nanjing are unique and technically demanding. They are regarded as special traditional techniques of China.

With a history of over 2,500 years, Longquan Swords are the most typical ancient weapons of China and the country’s famous traditional handicrafts. The swords are produced in Longquan County of Zhejiang Province, hence the name “Longquan Swords”. The swords made in Longquan are “exquisite beyond compare” and “cut bonze like mud”. The age-old and superb sword forging techniques of Longquan have been included in the national list of intangible cultural heritage.

Fireworks and firecrackers made in Liuyang are the most representative products in the fireworks industry of China. At the same time, they are world-famous traditional products of Hunan and among the major export commodities. Liuyang has long enjoyed a good reputation for its pyrotechnics and is commonly known as “the home of firecrackers”. The technology of making fireworks and firecrackers has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage of the country.

The Chinese philosopher Zhang Heng invented the earliest known seismoscope in 132 A.D. The instrument was said to resemble a wine jar of six-foot diameter. On the outside of the vessel there were eight dragon heads, facing the eight principal directions of the compass. Below each of the dragon heads was a toad, with its mouth open toward the dragon. The mouth of each dragon held a ball. At the occurrence of an earthquake, one of the eight dragon-mouths would release a ball into the open mouth of the toad situated below. The direction of the shaking determined which of the dragons released its ball. The instrument is reported to have detected a four-hundred-mile distant earthquake which was not felt at the location of the seismoscope.