Basic Introduction to Fushun Amber
The Xilutian mine in Fushun City, Liaoning Province, is a source of high-quality amber. Types of Fushun amber include golden amber, white cloud amber, flower amber, and the unique blood amber among transparent and translucent varieties. Fushun amber primarily originates from the amber-bearing coal strata of the early Tertiary period in the Cenozoic era. The most famous amber comes from countries along the Baltic Sea coastline in Europe; however, other regions such as North America, the United States, India, New Zealand, and Myanmar also produce it. In China, amber is found in Fushun, Liaoning Province, and the Nanyang region in Henan Province. The amber from Fushun ranges in color from yellow to golden yellow and often contains insects, making it exceptionally beautiful and valuable. Its enchanting allure has earned praise from collectors across China and around the world.
Product Features
Fushun amber handicrafts are made by polishing amber, a byproduct of the open-pit coal mines in Fushun, into unique crafts that reflect local style. These amber handicrafts are as clear as crystal and as smooth as jade. The history of amber carving in Fushun is long-standing, with artisans designing and skillfully carving various amber crafts based on the natural characteristics of the raw materials, including their size, shape, and color. These crafts are highly appreciated both domestically and internationally. Fushun amber handicrafts are made by polishing amber, a byproduct of the open-pit coal mines in Fushun, into unique crafts that reflect local style. These amber handicrafts are as clear as crystal and as smooth as jade. The history of amber carving in Fushun is long-standing, with artisans designing and skillfully carving various amber crafts based on the natural characteristics of the raw materials, including their size, shape, and color. These crafts are highly appreciated both domestically and internationally.
History and Folklore
In China, the tradition of collecting amber dates back a long time. Poet Li Bai wrote, “Let's keep the amber pillow, perhaps dreams will come.” Some believe that the “amber pillow” refers to a cherished possession of the beauty Zhao Feiyan, and its whereabouts remain a mystery to this day. During the Qing Dynasty, amber was used to make the buttons for officials' hats, strung into court beads, and crafted into various pendants, snuff bottles, bracelets, and decorative items favored by the nobility and elite.
Gdansk in Poland is known as the “Capital of Amber.” In this small city with a population of just 470,000, there are over ten thousand amber producers. The Poles say that the first heyday for amber was during the Roman era. At that time, only lower-class people wore amber as jewelry, while upper-class women held amber balls in their palms to neutralize odors. Merchants transported large quantities of amber from the Baltic coast to the Mediterranean, and these routes that connected the north and south of Europe came to be known as the “Amber Road.”
From the 16th to the 18th century, amber became fashionable in Europe and was loved by all social classes. The Amber Room in St. Petersburg, hailed as one of the “Eighth Wonders of the World,” was built using the finest amber and took ten years to complete. In 20th-century Europe and America, most amber crafts were traditional jewelry worn by elderly women, characterized by exquisite craftsmanship. One reason for the renewed interest in amber was the release of Spielberg's “Jurassic Park” in 1992. In the film, scientists extract dinosaur DNA from mosquitoes preserved in amber. This movie “drove Americans crazy about amber,” and this enthusiasm persisted from the early 1990s until the end of the century.
Awards and Honors
Recently, “Fushun Amber Carving and Manufacturing Techniques” have been included in the third batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage projects under the category of folk fine arts. This is the fifth project to enter the provincial list after the first provincial project, “Fushun Manchu Yangge,” and the second batch of projects, which included “Fushun Coal Agate Carving,” “Xinbin Manchu Paper Cutting,” and “Qingyuan Folk Tales.”