Heritage of creativity

The Four Seas Rejoice is deemed to be one of the "four national treasures" that Cui's factory produced in the 1980s. The other three jadeite works are A Magnificent View of Mount Taishan, a miniature hill; A Fragrant and Auspicious Gathering, an incense holder; and Myriad Flowers in Full Bloom, a floral basket. Altogether, they took dozens of engravers, like Cui's masters, informed by the expertise of scholars, nearly a decade to complete.

Today, the four treasures are on public view at Craftsmanship of a Great Nation, one of several long-term exhibitions to inaugurate the China National Arts and Crafts Museum and the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, which opened on Feb 6.