Yixing teapot
A Yixing teapot (also called zisha, or purple clay teapot) is a traditional pot made from Yixing clay and commonly used to brew tea. It originated in China and is made from clay produced in the region of the town of Yixing, Jiangsu. It is said that if you use a Yixing teapot for many years, you can brew tea just by pouring boiling water into the empty pot.

Yixing teapots first appeared during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279). Jiangsu is the world's only source for the unique clay from which Yixing teapots are made. Yixing teapots were relatively unknown for many years until the late Ming Dynasty (1600s) when their use and production began to flourish. Demand from Europe and throughout China fueled an active industry in which many artists developed their craft to high levels of mastery. For the next 300 years, Yixing teapots attained renown throughout China and Europe. Although the Europeans strove to imitate Yixing teapots, they could not compete with the unique purple clay only found near Yixing.

Purple clay's unique properties make it ideal for brewing tea. The quality most immediately apparent is the attractive color of purple clay. This color, sometimes augmented by natural pigments, is never hidden on Yixing teapots by glazes. Similarly, the insides of Yixing teapots are always left uncoated. The porous nature of purple clay absorbs the flavor, smell, and color of the tea that is brewed in it. Over time, Yixing teapots develop a seasoning from repeated use, making the tea brewed from a well-used teapot a special treat. For this reason, most people will dedicate a single flavor of tea to a specific Yixing teapot, so that the seasoning is not disrupted by cross-brewing.

Suzhou fans
Suzhou fans are one of the fine handcrafts available in Suzhou. The traditional folding fans can be made of sandalwood or mandarin silk, while the newer style round fans are made of paper.

Suzhou fans have a long history and are famous at home and abroad. The exquisite sandalwood fan, folding fan, silk palace fan, and paper fan are all characteristic of arts. The production of sandalwood fan includes zigzag shaped steel thread on the two ends of a bamboo bow and the engraving of flowers with it. “Ironing Flowers” refers to the drawing of flowers and characters on the spread sandalwood fan with an electric pen. The drawing is vivid, with clear gradations, and has the effect of drawing on paper. “Drawing Flowers” refers to the drawing of women, flowers and birds, mountains and waters on the silk on the upper half of the fan. The picture is colorful and the drawing is fine and delicate.

The folding fans of Suzhou are characteristic of being fine and elegant. The frame is mainly made of bamboo carved or painted, and pieces of white bones with elegant flowers. The drawn pictures include flowers and birds, poems and patterns clear and pleasant. The silk palace fan is the most famous one among the fans. It spread far and wide since the Han dynasty. There are round, hexagon, and rectangle ones. Its face is made of silk. Some are made of thin silk or cloth.

Suzhou silk embroidery
Suzhou embroidery is one of the four major styles of Chinese embroidery. Vivid depictions of animals, people, landscapes and flowers are popular themes of Suzhou embroidery. Traditional embroidery is blended with fashionable contemporary elements, yielding a style of embroidery that is appreciated by both Chinese people and foreigners.

Nanjing cloud brocade
The origin of Nanjing cloud brocade can be traced back to 1,500 years ago. It used to be the brocade that was reserved only for the emperors and the royal family members in the dynasties of Yuan, Ming and Qing. It is said that the cloud-pattern brocade was used to make imperial robes and hats as well as the concubines' clothing. In Qing Dynasty, the development of Nanjing cloud-pattern brocade entered its period of full bloom. At that time, there were more than 30,000 looms with nearly 300,000 workers engaging in this trade. The weaving technique of Nanjing cloud-pattern brocade was so complicated that only five to six centimeters of brocade could be woven every day. In 2001, Nanjing cloud-pattern brocade was selected into the candidate programs of the oral and intangible heritage of human at UNESCO. Nanjing Brocade Research Institute, which is located at No.240 East Chating Road, (open 8:30am-4:30pm) sells cloud dragon brocade once reserved exclusively for use by emperors. Prices are high but this is the real deal.

Yuhua Stone
Yuhua Stone or Rain-flower stone of Nanjing, a kind of natural agate stone, is also called ornamental stone or lucky stone. It enjoys a long history of nearly 5,000 years and is acclaimed as one of the best well-known treasure stones in China. With a smooth and clear surface, it is regarded as the queen of stones and heavenly treasure for its rich colors and numerous shapes. Most of them have pictures on its face, some of them like stars, birds; others like insects, fish, the others just like a character of old China. A great and vivid world is reflected in a piece of stone of tiny size, it is really a unique thing in China.

Donghai crystal
Crystals, with their glitter and clarity, are seen by many as something nearly sacred, and Donghai County in the city of Lianyungang, is well-known as the "land of crystals.” With 70 percent of the national reserve of the precious material, Donghai produces 80 percent of China's crystal products. The 4.35-tonne "China Crystal King", among the precious collections at the Chinese Museum of Geology, was unearthed in Donghai.

Crystals come in all sorts of colors - red, purple, green, black, white, yellow and blue. Donghai crystals are not only sold worldwide but have penetrated the market in large- and medium-sized Chinese cities. Most crystal products sold at major jeweler shops across China bear the "Donghai Crystal" label.

Changzhou Combs
The Changzhou comb is a famous traditional handicraft of China, and was one of the eight hair ornaments in ancient china. It has been in vogue since the southern and northern dynasties. It has a history of more than 1,500 years. There is a poem saying that there is rouge in Yangzhou and flowers in Suzhou, but the Changzhou comb is number one. It used to be a royal article for long, so it enjoyed a reputation of a famous comb for palaces. The Changzhou comb has been awarded many honors at home and abroad, receiving a silver medal at the Panama International Peace Expo in 1915 and a gold medal at the Philadelphia Expo in 1926.

Nantong Kites
Kite-flying is one of the great Chinese hobbies. For 2,000 years a good strong fall or spring wind has brought people of all ages out into parks and public squares to let their kites soar along the breezes. Chinese kites are not the dull diamonds of colored cloth found in many Western countries, but are works of folk art.

Nantong Kites are most typical and representative for its banyao. Many kite fans deeply appreciate its simple design and bright color. A banyao is enormous and flat, with a hexagon as its base and exquisite painting. While flying, it will make different sounds, like a piece of strong symphony in the sky. Compared with the northern kites, it is more exquisite and elegant.

Yangzhou Lacquer Ware
The production of Yangzhou lacquer ware enjoys a long history. More than 2,000 years ago in the Han Dynasty, Yangzhou lacquer ware was famous both at home and abroad. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the craft of Yangzhou lacquer ware was very subtle, and more products were embedded with metal. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yangzhou lacquer ware reached its culmination. Besides colored drawings and carved lacquer ware, other crafts such as shell-inlaid flower pattern, embedded bone, stone, and jewel were also improved. The traditional Yangzhou lacquer ware is made with some 800 precious materials such as jadeite, agate, coral, green jade, white jade, trunk, pad auk, mica, green snail, silver, gold and so on, on the basis of a delicate painting. In the decorative patterns on the lacquer ware, there are a lot of calligraphy and drawings of “the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou”, which greatly enhance the artistic value of Yangzhou lacquer ware.

Yangzhou lacquer ware is rich in sort, delicate in skill, manifold in color, and antique in shape. It can be both appreciated and utilized and has vivid local tastes. According to the shape and use of Yangzhou lacquer ware, they can be divided into three major kinds: screen, furniture, and others.

Yangzhou Paper-cut
Paper-cut was widespread first in Yangzhou and other places of China. The emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty went to Yangzhou three times. He built many temporary dwelling places for enjoyment. Every winter, the flowers and trees in the garden withered, and the water in the pool froze. Yang Guang ordered that the maids cut paper as the folks did. Colorful brocade was cut as flowers and leaves which were used to decorate the twigs. The brocade was also cut into lotus, water caltrop, and so on. They were placed on the surface of the pool where the ice had been removed. This created a beautiful scene of the turn of spring and summer. This shows that paper-cut in Yangzhou has a long history.

Wuxi Huishan Figurines
Huishan clay figurines made in Wuxi are one of the well-known folk arts in China. It is said that Huishan clay figurines have a history of over 400 years. The little clay figures are not only very cute and colorful, but also full of cultural connotations in them. "Da A Fu" is probably the most famous figure, which usually appears as a plump boy holding a green lion or a fish, symbolizing prosperity and luck. Children are one of the main themes of the figures. Like "Da A Fu", the typical children figures have large heads and smiling faces. Another popular theme is "Lao Shou Xing" or the Old Man of Longevity.

Huishan clay figures have been exported to more than 60 countries and regions and invited to take part in many cultural exchange activities, marking a great contribution to Sino-foreign cultural exchanges.

Nantong Blue Calico
Traditional Nantong blue calico printing and dyeing has been popular for a long time in almost every county of Nantong. After the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), there were female weavers in every house in Nantong, which is famous for weaving and blue calico. Nantong-style blue calico is made by hand using centuries’ old techniques. The actual process is fairly simple, and uses all natural materials. An artist draws the pattern on paper, then cuts it out using a razor to make a stencil. Once the stencil has been coated in wax to make it more durable, the dyeing process can begin. The blue and white designs of the calico are created by protecting certain parts of the cloth from the dye by coating them with wax. The waxy coating is actually a mush made from yellow soybeans. The stencil is laid on top of the uncolored fabric, and artisans "paint" the coating onto the cloth through the stencil, so that certain parts of the fabric are covered with the waxy paste. Once the coating has dried, the cloth is then dyed. The deep, rich blue of Nantong calico comes from natural dye made from the indigo plant. Once it has been dyed and dried, the wax is scraped off, revealing the beautiful pattern beneath. Nantong blue calico has enjoyed resurgence in recent years among both Chinese and foreigners. While it has a very "Chinese" and traditional folk look, it looks natural in modern clothing styles in a way that many other folk fabrics do not. Nantong calico comes in a range of different patterns, which make it well suited to a wide array of different uses.

Taohuawu Woodblock Prints
Traditionally peasant families marked the New Year by pasting auspicious pictures on the doors of their homes. In the centuries before printing machines, these were always made by woodblock printing, and those from the area around Suzhou were especially famous. Some artisans still produce them today, and they are beautiful folk art objects with bright lively colors. The prints were traditionally designed in pairs since traditional Chinese homes always had double doors. The patterns are meant to evoke ordinary people's wishes for happiness, prosperity, and good health in the coming year. One traditional design is a pair of guardian gods (one for each door) - one a civil official and the other a soldier. They were meant to protect the home and family from evil spirits and bad luck. Other popular patterns use peaches (the symbol of longevity), gods from Chinese folk religion, or characters with auspicious meanings.

Woodblock prints are carved by hand, traditionally in blocks of pear wood. For single color prints, the woodblocks are simply inked up and then pressed onto the paper. However, most of these prints are traditionally done in four-five colors and use a more complicated process. In contrast to other styles of printing, which create different colors by using different colored inks on the same woodblock, Suzhou style uses a different block for each color. For example, the artist carves one piece of wood to print the parts of the image which will be red, another for the yellow sections, and a third for those in black. Since black is used for the lines that make up the image, it is printed first, and then the different colors are printed on top, once the previous layer's ink is dry.

Yangzhou Jade Carving
The Chinese began carving jade more than 6,000 years ago, finding it to be highly workable compared to other types of stone. Colors range through blue, violet and pink as well as the more common green and white, and although its use in the creation of valuable, decorative and ceremonial items was explored later in other countries, its long-standing relationship with Chinese culture is one of the most fascinating.

Yangzhou is one of the most famous areas in China for jade production, and has a long history in the jade trade. Jade-carving has a deep resonance in Chinese culture for aesthetic, moral, and even magical reasons. Chinese jade-carving has evolved over the centuries, coming to reflect other art forms, popular customs, religion and folk tales.

Yangzhou jade carvings are made from several different types of jade. The two main types are nephrite and jadeite. Nephrite comes in a wide range of colors -- from soft green to many shades of pale gray and white. Its smooth texture and muted tones made it a favorite among traditional Confucian scholars. Jadeite, on the other hand, is found in much brighter colors, like vivid emerald green and rich lavender. Today, Yangzhou jade carvings are known for their delicate, graceful, elegant and exquisite style.

Red Sandalwood Carving
Red sandalwood was highly prized in imperial China, and was used to create intricately-carved furniture and decorative objects. Currently, nearly 60 percent of red sandalwood carvers are women.