Ceramics
In the 7th century, the Chinese discovered porcelain. The finest porcelain was produced under the Song (960-1276), and firing techniques evolved throughout this period, with emperors and artists advancing the quest for beauty and perfection. By playing with the opening of kiln doors during firing, the ideal crackling was mastered, creating a new artistic style. Painted motifs were then added to the glaze, and the 1300s saw the blossoming of "blue and white" (Qinghua) with cobalt-blue decorations straight from Persia. At first, it was difficult to tame this blue, which often appeared diffuse and dark, before being used for superb floral and landscape motifs. From 1730 onwards, a strong foreign demand swept through China, influencing its decorations. Throughout its evolution, the quality of Chinese porcelain has steadily improved, in line with the demand for perfection (all imperial pieces were broken if they were less than perfect, even if they had only the tiniest flaw). Today, however, it can no longer lay claim to its quality in the age of mass production.
Jade
It was the most precious stone in the eyes of the Chinese. Carefully worked, polished and sculpted, it's soft and cool to the touch. It's worth noting that by dint of working jade and loving it, the Chinese have come to exhaust China's mines. So if you're offered a jade object, be sure to ask whether it's jadeite or nephrite, which in no way detracts from its beauty. Jadeite is more valuable than nephrite. It is more translucent, and its color varies from a cameo of almost white green to a more frank green. It may also take on blue or lavender hues. Nephrite, straight from Central Asia, is often a pretty, duller green, but can also be white, yellow or even black. The earliest jades found date back to around 5,000 BC, when they were used as offerings to Heaven and Earth during ritual sacrifices, and especially during funeral ceremonies, since jade was believed to prolong earthly life. For this reason, it was used to partially cover the body of the deceased, leading to the discovery of plates that must have been amulets and ornaments. From the 18th century onwards, jade work became more commonplace, appearing in art and decorative objects.
Lacquers
Everyone has experienced the pleasant sensation of caressing a lacquered cabinet door with their hand. It exudes an immense softness that contrasts with the essentially rustic nature of wood. Lacquer was discovered in China under the Shang.
It is derived from the resinous sap of the sumac tree, which is not only waterproof, but also hardens on contact with air, turning a lovely shade of brown and giving extraordinary resistance and protection to the wood it covers. The process is quite lengthy. First, the surface or object to be lacquered must be well sanded. Next, a mixture of clay and lacquer is applied in a thin layer. After drying for at least twelve hours in a dust-free environment, apply another coat of lacquer, leave to dry for a further twelve hours or so, then sand carefully. And so on, about twenty times. If you wish, you can then paint over the decoration with a brush.
Bamboo
Taiwan offers an impressive variety of bamboo objects, from everyday utensils to works of art. Bamboo(jhu in Chinese) is part of Taiwan's cultural heritage. In Chinese tradition, the straightness and emptiness that characterize bamboo make it a symbol of nobility and integrity. But the Chinese don't have a monopoly on bamboo in Taiwan. Before the Han settled the island in the 17th century, the long-established aborigines had already mastered the use of bamboo to build shrines, houses, granaries and ford towers. They also made numerous objects from the material, such as fish traps, larders, hoods, sieves and even clothing to protect themselves from the rain. The use of bamboo is thus very much in evidence in all Taiwanese cultures.
Today, bamboo is still widely used to produce a variety of items for everyday use: traditional musical instruments, office equipment, toys, toiletries (such as the famous back-scratchers), leisure items (such as the plates used for mah-jong), agricultural utensils, fishing tackle (particularly rods), household items, ritual items and furniture. Bamboo handicrafts are still very popular, and are even the subject of numerous publications. The Taiwanese are also very attached to bamboo, and in cities surrounded by concrete and steel, the dream is often a house surrounded by bamboo.
The tea
In Taiwan, tea is everywhere: on the street, little stalls offer bubble tea to take away (usually milk tea served cold with tapioca balls). It's literally impossible to miss this social phenomenon, as the Taiwanese are so fond of it.
But if Taiwanese tea is renowned the world over, it's above all for its Oolong variety, whose most famous plantations are in Alishan (southern Taiwan) and Lishan (central Taiwan). Oolong, also known as blue tea, is a type of tea with incomplete oxidation (green tea is not oxidized, black tea completely oxidized). It has a very distinctive taste and must be enjoyed according to the rules of the Gongfu tea ceremony. This ritual, whose Chinese word means "the art of drinking tea", originated in Fujian. Codified in all its aspects, Gongfu is nevertheless very different from the Japanese tea ceremony, which has a sacred character. In Taiwan, Gongfu is above all a technique for preparing the best possible tea.
