Popular Science: The Magical and Sacred Glass Art – Liuli
When people think of glass, they often associate it with beauty, describing it in poetic, dreamlike language: its晶莹剔透 (jīngyíng tītòu – crystalline transparency) refracting the world’s splendor, captivating the senses; like morning dew and faint light, it’s not just a window’s garment but a magician of light and shadow, reflecting the beauty of all things; glass is like you, holding endless stories and purity within its essence… Yet, when you gently touch its watery-smooth surface, you find beautiful stories hidden within its transparent body.
Next, let’s explore the everyday glass objects that accompany us like a shadow.
Liuli (also known as Liuli, Liúlí, Liúláng, Lùlí, Pōlí, Yaoyu, etc.),被誉为 (bèi yùwéi – is renowned as) the head of China’s Five Famous Artwares and one of the Seven Treasures of Buddhism, with a history spanning over two thousand years.
Liuli: Refers to glass-based artworks, decorations, and ornaments produced using complex manual forming and processing techniques. Its流光溢彩 (liúguāng yì cǎi – flowing light and overflowing color) and变幻瑰丽 (biànhuàn guīlì -变幻瑰丽 – changing and magnificent) appearance earned it the title “Five-Colored Stone.” Its production process is intricate and was historically enjoyed exclusively by royalty and nobility.
If you ever witness Liuli being made, you would be deeply captivated: it is a moment of the glass breathing. It’s not an assembly line but a默契 (mòqì – tacit understanding) between furnace fire and hands. Each blob of glass must endure scorching heat over a thousand degrees, being stretched, blown, shaped, and cut, then solidifying gently. The curve you see isn’t a cold object but a soul painstakingly shaped by artisans, bit by bit. There is no dialogue, no explanation, only a conversation between glass and time. They are not just replicating tradition; they can shape chandeliers of royal splendor and also create the minimalist poetry found in modern homes!
Speaking of Liuli, one must mention Boshan in Zibo. Boshan is the birthplace of Chinese Liuli culture, recognized by historians of science and technology as the “Center of Liuli Manufacturing during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.” The site of the oldest ancient Liuli furnaces found in China is located there. It gave birth to China’s first and only Furnace God Temple, produced the first ancient Chinese专著 (zhuānzhù – monograph) on Liuli, and established China’s first Liuli museum. Since ancient times, it has held the reputation: “Look to China for world Liuli; look to Boshan for Chinese Liuli.” Its profound cultural heritage provides a solid foundation for the continuous development and innovation of Boshan’s Liuli industry.
Categories of Liuli: Liuli boasts rich categories, encompassing five major types:热成型 (rè chéngxíng – hot forming),灯工 (dēng gōng – lampworking),脱蜡 (tuō là – lost-wax casting),雕刻 (diāokè – carving), and内画 (nèihuà – inner painting). There are nearly a thousand varieties and tens of thousands of patterns. Precious materials like Chicken Oil Yellow (Jiyouhuang), Chicken Liver Stone (Jiganshi), Gold Red (Jinhong), and Turquoise Green (Songshülǜ) are renowned both domestically and internationally.
Characteristics of Liuli Production Techniques:
Prolonged Process: From conception, design, sculpting, firing, fine repair, polishing to completion, it requires forty-seven precise and intricate manual steps.
Handcrafted: Artisans must possess exquisite skills to operate. Each process has its own variable factors, requiring repeated experimentation during production. No two pieces share identical colors, making the difficulty extremely high.
One Mold, One Product: A single mold can only be used to fire one piece; it cannot be reused. Large, complex pieces may even require multiple mold openings and firings to complete. The low success rate makes each piece more valuable and precious.
High-Temperature Firing: Selected raw materials are melted at high temperatures above 1400°C to form various colored crystal glass. After multiple rounds of selection and cleaning, they are placed into molds according to the piece’s material ratio. Strict heating and cooling curves are set, with furnace temperature controlled within 1000°C ±5°C, ensuring precision down to every minute detail. This guarantees the piece is exquisitely clever, three-dimensional, realistic, with elegant lines and clarity.
Permanent Color: The colors within Liuli are formed by the high-temperature sintering of various metal oxides. They will not fade, oxidize, or experience other aging phenomena.
Bubbles in Liuli: Liuli works should possess artistic vitality. The bubbles present within the work add imaginative space and more灵气 (língqì – spirit/animacy). “Bubbles are the breath of Liuli” – this is a consensus within the Liuli art field.
[Note: Liuli Care: Avoid collision or friction with hard objects, and contact with sulfur, chlorine, etc. Maintain room temperature. Wipe with purified water; if using tap water, let it sit for over 12 hours before use. Keep the Liuli surface glossy and clean, and ensure it does not come into contact with oil stains or foreign matter.]
Liuli, “using fire as the brush and material as the ink,” is a千年非遗 (qiānnián fēiyí – millennia-old intangible cultural heritage) skill, with kiln fires burning for thousands of years unextinguished. In modern society, Liuli artisans, full of reverence for traditional cultural techniques, inherit historical skills and culture while pioneering and advancing. They融合 (rónghuì – fuse) thoughts, emotions, and art with the东方人的精致、细腻、含蓄 (Dōngfāngrén de jīngzhì, xìnì, hánxù – precision, delicacy, and subtlety of Eastern people), continually offering exquisite works to meet people’s demand for beauty!
