In Taoyuan County in northwestern Hunan Province, the humid climate, fertile land and rich water resources have promoted rice production and the development of the local wine-brewing industry since ancient times. People in Taoyuan County once used jars to contain and store wine, and interestingly, lids of wine-jars became famous cultural artifacts, known for their unique folk art style.

Brief Introduction to Taoyuan Wine-jar Lids' Evolvement

The early Taoyuan wine-jar lids were gray, round pottery pieces engraved with geometric patters or signs of totems signifying good luck. Although simple and crude, the style was popular in the Qin and Han Dynasties (221BC-220 AD).

It was from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) on that the fragile pottery wine-jar lids were gradually replaced by wooden ones.

Taoyuan County used to be the well-known capital of the quality "West Lake Wood." In 1498, the 12th son of the Ming Emperor at that time brought a great many of the country's top craftsmen serving the royal family to the city of Changde near Taoyuan County to build him a palace. In this process, the local craftsmen learned engraving and carving techniques from royal craftsmen and developed the Taoyuan engraving technique, which was later applied to the making of wine-jar lids