Culture cast through glass

In the early years, they identified the lost-wax casting method as their core technique. At first, they believed it was a French specialty. Then, through exchanges with foreign scholars, they learned with astonishment that this very technique had been mastered by Chinese artisans over 2,000 years ago during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).

"An ear cup made of liuli unearthed from a Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) tomb is the earliest known example of the lost-wax casting method in China. Unfortunately, few records on the ancient technique exist," she says.

"The process involves more than 10 stages. Any mistake at any stage will cause the piece to crack or develop irregular bubbles and impurities," Yang says.