Arrays of delicate
liuli
(colored glass), ranging from vases and teacups to snuff bottles, glitter in the light at Sun Yunyi's studio in the Boshan district of Zibo, Shandong province.
The pieces in a distinctive oily yellow tint that resembles the fat in an elderly hen's abdomen are particularly striking. They are known as
jiyouhuang
(chicken-fat yellow).
▲ Sun Yunyi's
liuli
pieces range from traditional Chinese chimes (pictured) to vases. Photo provided to China Daily
These exquisite yellow
liuli
emerged during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and were mostly produced during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The color was reserved for the imperial family thus earning nicknames like "Imperial Yellow "and "Yellow Jade".
Over time, research and surviving artifacts related to its production were lost, making it an increasingly rare historical treasure, and
jiyouhuang
became prized by generations of collectors for its intricate craftsmanship.
▲ Sun fires
liuli
in his workshop in Boshan district, Zibo, Shandong province. Photo provided to China Daily
Using scraps of information from his forebearers, who used to work in the royal workshop, Sun and his family managed to rediscover the way
jiyouhuang
was made in 2007, after much trial and error.
This achievement set him apart from other practitioners in Boshan, which has been making
liuli
for more than 2,000 years.
About 2 kilometers away from his studio, the deep hum of a kiln and a stark rise in room temperature at the production site give a hint of the toil behind the stunning artworks.
With a focused look and steady hand, Sun grasps a blowpipe and extends it into a crucible heated to over 1,300 C.
He stands tall, heat radiating from the furnace, his hands skillfully stirring the molten glass, before lifting the blowpipe.
As he blows forcefully into it, the fiery-red lump of colored glass on its end expands, forming into a perfect, round shape.
"Blowing is a crucial step in the process of making colored glass and determines its shape," Sun says.
"Since the colored glass must be heated repeatedly, and the blowing process needs to be done multiple times to achieve the desired shape, there's no fixed standard for the process. Every piece requires careful judgment, and
liuli
makers must adjust the heat and blowing technique as needed, relying on their intuition and expertise to perfect the shape," he adds.
As the glass begins to cool, its brilliant red hue shifts to a rich, deep crimson.
Using a shaping board, Sun begins gently tapping the still molten glass, molding it into a smoother, more defined form before switching to other tools, rolling and rounding it with care.
Finally, using a pair of gourd-shaped tongs, he cuts the glass from the pipe, producing a semifinished piece of
jiyouhuang
.
After several hours of cooling in an annealing kiln, the color takes on a yellow hue.
▲ Sun Yunyi's
liuli
pieces range from traditional Chinese chimes to vases (pictured). Photo provided to China Daily
Following the annealing process, the piece is polished using grinding wheels to create a smooth surface, and then patterns are carefully engraved onto it before being filled with color.
"Each step must be executed in one continuous motion, leaving no room for error," Sun says.
He threw himself into production right after the Spring Festival holiday.
"We still have orders from last year that are yet to be delivered," he says, adding that demand for
liuli
is on the rise.
He and his team have also come up with new designs and forms to meet ever-changing market needs.
For the Year of the Snake, he has drawn inspiration from xuanwu, a fabled creature in ancient Chinese mythology composed of a tortoise intertwined with a snake.
He has ingeniously inset a snake figure in the belly of a tortoise after overcoming challenges such as the snake's tendency to deform or melt during secondary heating.
Sun says that as the tortoise is a symbol of longevity and endurance in Chinese culture, and the snake is often associated with regeneration and rebirth, the piece is imbued with an auspicious symbolism that makes it very popular.
Other
liuli
pieces, including pendants and brooches, have all been very well-received by younger consumers.
▲
Sun checks his pieces with a co-worker. China Daily
Born into a family of
liuli
artisans, Sun was predisposed to the art from observing his grandfather and father working amid the flames as he played with
liuli
marbles.
In 1983, he was making pieces at a factory, where he learned the art of painting on snuff bottles and making
liuli
art.
"The colored glass industry is one in which you seek wealth in the flames. The working environment is harsh. In the summer, the temperature in the workshop can exceed 40 C, and furnace workers often work shirtless, even in winter," he says.
As he built up his expertise, Sun decided to bring back the glory of
jiyouhuang
when his family set up their own small
liuli
workshop in the 1990s.
There was no surviving documentation of the full formula and composition of
jiyouhuang
, and each ingredient required research and experimentation.
"The formula we found generally mentioned white materials, such as aluminum oxide and quartz, but there was no hint of how much of each was needed. It also mentioned gray-colored substances like arsenic, but again, the exact composition and the precise amount of each component were not specified," he says.
Initially, the success rate was low.
"Nine out of 10 attempts were usually failures," Sun says. "Factors such as the quality of the raw materials, the control of the firing temperature, and even the climate, can significantly affect the final quality."
As if under a spell, he burned through the family savings and eventually filled in the missing information after years of endeavor.
