An ancient art form, when blended with modern techniques, can take on a brand-new and dazzling look; this is especially true with the art of mosaic lacquer painting, which formed in China (the birthplace of lacquer art) in 1995. Having its root in traditional Chinese culture and imbued with a strong sense of modern art, the art represents a perfect combination of traditional culture and modern high technology, and is hailed as one of the three treasures of traditional art of ancient China, together with Chinese ceramics and silk.

As early as in the Neolithic age about 7,000 years ago, the ancestors of Chinese people, when cutting down trees, found that the juice of the lacquer trees could be painted on walls and furniture, thus giving birth to primitive lacquer art. With a unique ability to resist corrosion, the lacquerware has survived various weather conditions, and has become known as a "living fossil" of traditional Chinese art, as well a special witness of traditional Chinese culture.

Both the industrial and artistic value of lacquerware reflected the cultural characters of various times. For example, the lacquerware of Hemudu Culture, which dates back 4,000 years ago, was simple and clumsy, while that of the Bronze Age was bright and colorful; lacquer art reached its peak in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), while in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), much importance was attached to details.

The art of Chinese mosaic lacquer painting, forged on the basis of the lacquer-art traditions of more than 1,000 years, has the most special artistic language, and is unique in terms of artistic charm.

As a form of lacquer art, mosaic lacquer paintings exist in a wide cultural range. They can be found in people's daily life as well as in Buddhist and Taoist temples; seen in common residences or department stores; given as birthday gifts or used as funeral articles or chariot decorations. The paintings, with different patterns and high artistic standards, vividly depict the social life of every stratum, reflecting artists' excellent skills and the unique charm of Chinese traditional and modern art.

The raw materials needed to make mosaic lacquer paintings are abundant, including materials to be colored, such as shells, eggshells, bones and stones, as well as other minerals and materials, all of which have good visual effects.

The making of a mosaic lacquer painting includes four steps.

In the very beginning, a draft of the painting is made before determining the kind of metal wire to be used according to the painting's general appearance.

Following that, the metal wire is glued to the draft, which is a painstaking job also known as "wire inlaying" in industrial art. During this process, much attention has to be paid first to the hardness and tenacity of the metal wire, which is easy to distort, and second to gluing, which sometimes make a huge difference in the quality of lacquer paintings.

Having inlaid the wire, it is time to fill up the colors, which is the soul of lacquer paintings. To facilitate this process, water is usually added to the pigment-like powder, which is in fact made from various kinds of crude substances. Then, the mixture is drawn into a sucking pipe and poured into the gaps between the metal wires, completely filling the gaps. Afterwards, the half-finished painting is left to dry before going on with the next step.

As it is not easy to mix the pigment-like powder, a lacquer painting usually has to be colored in this way ten times or more, with the painting having to be completely dried each time before another color-filling process is done.

The last step is polishing, to ensure the lacquered surface is smooth and shiny. Usually, seven kinds of abrasive paper are used, including both rough and tender ones.

The mosaic lacquer paintings have offered good inspirations to people's daily life: The paintings are used in sacrificial ceremonies for their mystique, and they used for decorative purposes. As precious artworks, they are collected widely both at home and abroad.