Cut open the skin of a lacquer tree. Stick a shell into the opening. The natural liquid that falls out like teardrops is what we call Chinese lacquer. At this moment, the lacquer has a creamy color, ...

When organic chemist Takayuki Honda visited Okinawa Island in southern Japan a few years ago, he purchased a small dish coated with the glossy vermilion lacquer that’s characteristic of the region.

Lacquer is usually for precious, pricey stuff. Think handcrafted bowls and serving trays, religious artefacts in museum collections, and the facades of old shrines, temples and other architectural ...

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. “The sap harvested for lacquer is like the blood of a tree. It is a treasure from nature,” says ...

Following is a transcript of the video. Narrator: Sơn mài is a traditional Vietnamese form of lacquer painting created using a toxic lacquer harvested from one region of the country. It requires ...

A red lacquer box shaped like chrysanthemum petals, dating to the reign of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) emperor Qianlong. [Photo provided to China Daily] A perfectly circular carved red lacquer plate ...

A replica of a lacquer drum dating back more than 2,300 years on display at the National Museum of China in Beijing (JIANG DONG / CHINA DAILY) At first, it appears to just be a piece of decayed wood.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Environmentally unfriendly, volatile and a total sod to work with... But enough about Jeremy ...