Top three cultural treasures in Shanxi

Fen Wine

Fen Wine comes from the village of Xinghuacun village, in Fenyang county, Shanxi province and goes back as far as the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-581),giving it a history of 1,500 years. It is known for its color, aroma and taste and is one of China's eight famous alcoholic drinks.It won a gold medal at the Panama International Fair, in 1916 and, after the establishment of the People's Republic of China, it got a gold medal from the State Council several times, and is known in more than 40 countries and regions.

Gaoping Silk

Gaoping Silk The city of Gaoping, Shanxi province is considered the hometown of silk. The first silk reeling was made in the Xuan Valley (Xuanshui), in the northwestern, mountainous part of Gaoping. Fan Wenlan, a famous historian, remarked, "There's a river, Xuanshui, in Xuanxian county, near Gaoping that is the birthplace of Chinese silk." And Gaoping's silk is truly known for its softness, brightness, and light feel, as well as its many types.

Polished Lacquerware

Polished lacquerware Polished lacquerware is a highly developed handicraft known for the luster of its polished finish. Pingyao lacquerware is a famous Shanxi art form that is elegant and shiny in its primitive simplicity. It has fine resplendent patterns that are smooth to the touch and are heat resistant and moisture-proof, durable, and reputed for their quality.

Historical records show Pingyao having a long history of polished lacquerware, dating back to the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty (713-741). The lacquer was mostly used for folding screens, hanging screens, small tables, wardrobes, corner cupboards, wine cabinets, and jewelry caskets. The base is mainly inky, rosy red, apricot yellow, or green-purple and the designs feature national characteristics, such as figures from classical stories, dramas, ancient myths, and legends. They are often decorated with gold paint and carved or inlaid patterns, with smooth lines, harmonious hues, and vibrant colors.

Pingyao polished lacquerware involves five procedures: a wooden prototype, a grey prototype, lacquering, painting, and inlaying. In the first stage, craftsmen make a prototype out of pine, then cover it with hemp, and spread a layer of plaster mixed with pork blood in a fairly delicate, complicated process.