Master and protector of lacquerware

Yin Liping, a senior inheritor of Chengdu lacquerware craftsmanship, is working on a piece with a graver and paint brushes in her office in Sichuan province. The craft was named a national-level intangible culture heritage in 2006. Dating back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties (c. 16th century-256 BC), the application of Chinese lacquer is a process that involves more than 100 steps, such as designing, material preparation, decorating, grinding and polishing.

Yin has worked in the field for 45 years－since she was 22 years old－and has been the head of the design department of a local lacquerware company since the late 1980s. She is engaged not just with the creative process but also in passing down the traditional skills to her apprentices.