Beijing preserved fruit enjoys an international reputation for its unique taste and elaborate packages. It is said that in the Ming Dynasty, this preserved fruit was a Royal light refreshment and then spread to the common folk. The sweet taste was made by honey or sugar. To differentiate them, preserved fruit marinated in honey is called honey glazed fruit and the kind made by sugar is called preserved fruit.

There are a variety of candied and preserved fruits in Beijing. The distinction between candied fruits and preserved fruits, according to the native standard in Beijing, lies in the proportion of liquid and juice. The candied fruits are totally dried, like preserved apple, pear, apricot, peach, pear-leaved crab-apple, flowering crab-apple, tsao, green plum and haw, all of which are processed and boiled in sugar water before being dried. They look bright brown, golden or amber, though dry and slightly sticky with below 20% moisture content.

Chinese considered snuff to be a remedy for common illnesses such as colds, headaches and stomach disorders. During the Qing Dynasty, snuff bottles were used to contain powdered tobacco. Although this delicate art has died away among the people since the establishment of Republic of China, it can still be bought in a souvenir shop for its high collection value.

The most charming and truly fascinating snuff bottles are those with paintings on the interior walls. These were painted from the inside out through a technique that first painted the interior with iron oxydal mixed with water. This created a milky white surface suitable to take the paints, which were applied subsequently. Snuff bottles of this genre include landscapes, flower pieces and other works. These were created in a day or less of painstakingly intricate brushwork and are truly works of art. The earliest examples of these date from the 1880s so this form was a relatively late development.

Beijing carved lacquer ware enjoys an international reputation for the excellent handicraft. The unique engraving, which is done with special knives on the lacquer body, carves the lacquer into form images/designs. It is honored together with porcelain in Jingdezheng and embroidery in Hunan as the three treasures of Chinese arts and crafts.

Beijing lacquer ware starts with a brass or wooden body. After preparing and polishing, it is coated with several dozen up to hundreds of layers of lacquer, reaching a total thickness of 5 to 18 millimetres. Then, engravers cut into the hardened lacquer, creating carved paintings of landscapes, human figures, flowers, and animals. It is then finished by drying and polishing. Beijing lacquer objects are in the forms of chairs, screens, tea tables, vases, and other furniture.

In order to make the dough smooth and easy to shape while also allowing it to last for years without spoiling, the dough itself is created from a mixture of wheat flour, honey, lard, powdered sugar and other ingredients.

In order to color the right colors, special care has to be taken in the preparation of the dough. Dough has a special luster that adds beauty to the finished product.

In order to ensure a vivid dough sculpture, many different instruments are used for creating detail in the dough, ranging from fingers to toothpicks to sharp pointed metal objects.

History
Although the exactly original time of dough sculptures is hard to be finalized. According to some local artists, dough shaping was popular as early as the Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220). During that time, dough sculptures were buried with the dead. During the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279), dough sculptures in the shapes of people, flowers and birds were used as sacrifices and could be eaten. Until the end of the Qing Dynasty, they were kept in glass boxes and functioned as artworks on some occasions.

Technique for doing dough sculptures
The main material for dough sculpture is flour. This local product asks some careful techniques during the making process.

Dough shaping can be taken as a carved artistic creation in Beijing. This folk art is made of purified wheat flour, glutinous rice powder mixed with bee-honey and glycerin. Skillful artists make these materials into some lively figures, such as Monkey King, Liu Bei. The small size of this work makes it an ideal gift for friends or memorabilia for the trip to Beijing.

Generally, dough figures are made on streets and sold on the spot. The craftsman depends on this craft to make a living. There is no specific institution that teaches the skills for making dough figures. The craft is handed down by oral teaching and practice. In general, the craft is passed down from the ancestors of a family. There are a lot of schools of dough figures making. They differ from one another in the formula and techniques of dough kneading. Even within the same school, the formula and techniques of dough kneading can differ with the change of seasons and works.

Cloisonné in the world
China is not the only one country to produce cloisonné. This beautiful artwork can be found all in many countries.

In Japan, since the mid-19th century, artists produced cloisonné in large quantities of very high technical quality. And Russian cloisonné from the Tsarist era is also highly prized by collectors, especially from the House of Fabergé or Khlebnikov. The French and other nations also have produced small quantities. And in China mainland, Canton enamel sometimes may cause confusion with Chinese cloisonné. Canton enamel, a similar type of enamel work, is painted on freehand and does not utilize partitions to hold the colors separate.

Types
There are three types of cloisonné with their different appearances: concave, convex and flat. And the finishing method determines this final appearance.

No completely filled on the clisons is the typical appearance of the concave cloisonné. Capillary action causes the enamel surface to curve up against the cloisonné wire when the enamel is molten, producing a concave appearance.

Convex cloisonné is produced by overfilling each cloison, at the last firing. This gives each color area the appearance of slightly rounded mounds.

And the most common one is the flat cloisonné. After all the cloisons are filled the enamel is ground down to a smooth surface with lapidary equipment, using the same techniques as are used for polishing cabochon stones.

The top of the cloisonné wire is polished so it is flush with the enamel and has a bright luster. Some cloisonné enamel is electroplated with a thin film of gold, which will not tarnish as silver does.

Materials
Copper: the most one to make the body of cloisonné is copper. The characters of this metal, cheap, light, easily hammered and stretched provide many advantages to cast. Sometimes bronze and silver are used as well.

The shining wires are often made by silver or gold. It is bent into shapes that define the colored areas. The bends are all done at right angles, so that wire does not curve up.

The main dyestuff is enamel. This bright handicraft is usually fired with a thin layer of clear enamel. The main color is blue, red, yellow, green and black.

Introduction
The typical traditional handicraft cloisonné is also called copper padding thread weaving enamel. The elaborate art and the luxuriant appearance can attract customers at the first time. And it is also a collection with high value.

History
The cloisonné is a kind of Chinese antiques, so its history can be dated back to Yuan Dynasty.

In the capital (it is Beijing now) of Yuan Dynasty (1271 ~1368A.D), the cloisonné artwork rose. And in the following dynasty, Ming Dynasty (1450~1457A.D), this art developed and grew into a comparatively mature situation. Owing to blue enamel was primarily used; it was termed “jingtaiBlue”. The luxuriant appearance implied that it was only can be found in imperial family during the ancient time. But, after the people’s republic of china established, this art skill developed rapidly for the widely spread in the folk. Today, cloisonné gets a firmly reputation among the world.