Notes on Chinese craft, written for buyers
How to tell handmade from machine-made, what things actually cost, and what to ask a workshop before you pay a deposit. Published weekly.
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Hand-carved or machine-pressed? How to tell real Chinese lacquerware from copies
Most "lacquer" sold online is resin with a printed pattern. Here is what to look for in a photograph, what to ask the workshop, and what a genuine piece should cost.
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Yunjin brocade: what it is, what it costs, and why "brocade" on a label means nothing
Yunjin is woven on a wooden loom by two people and takes a day to produce a few centimetres. Most brocade on the market is jacquard. How to tell them apart.
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Buying Yixing purple clay without getting sold a mould
Hand-built vs slip-cast, why the seal on the base proves nothing, and the three questions that separate a workshop from a reseller.
Why we publish these. Our clients are buying craft they cannot see, from a country they may never visit. The only thing that makes that safe is knowing what to look for. These notes are what we would tell you on a call — written down so you can check our work.
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