A replica of a lacquer drum dating back more than 2,300 years on display at the National Museum of China in Beijing (JIANG DONG / CHINA DAILY) At first, it appears to just be a piece of decayed wood.

Lacquer art is widely applied in the making of various items, such as ornamental boxes. [Photo provided to China Daily] Editor's note: Traditional arts and crafts are supreme examples of Chinese ...

Archaeological work has revealed that people began to use the fluid from lacquer trees as early as 8,000 years ago. "Because of its fine physical and chemical properties, natural lacquer as a coating ...