The specialities of Beijing have been known to the world since long time ago.Mainly they are jade carving,ivory carving,lacquerware carving,cloisonne,filigree,dough figurines,carpets,palace lanterns, fresh water pearl,silk,Chinese medicine,Chinese tea and so on.
Like the handicraft art is a traditional art in China.The jade carving and ivory carving have a history of over 3,000 years,while the cloisonne making has a history of more than 500years.Beijings arts and crafts are renowned in the world for its excellent craftmanship,special national features,unique local style and its rich life flavor.Some of them won gold medals or were highly appreciated at international fairs and exhibitions.

Jade

According to archeologists and archeological findings, Chinese first began to know and use jade in the early Neolithic Age. Many jade artifacts, some dating back 4,000 to 6,000 years, have been excavated from a number of places. The jade had been used for many purposes, not only decorative. Up until the Sang and Zo? dynasties, jade was fashioned into tools, weapons, daily utensils, accessories and ritual utensils. As commodity exchange expanded, jade also became used as currency. For thousands of years up to the present day, jade has been a symbol of love and virtue, as well as a symbol of status.
Theres a Chinese saying:Jade is no more than a stone before it is chiselled, ground to an ornament.For a long time, the carving of jade articles has been an intrinsic part of Chinese culture, one reason that Chinese jade is renowned throughout the world. The Chinese peoples love and use of jade dates back to ancient times. Flowers, birds, animals, vases, mcense burners and human figures are the usual subjects of jade carving, but the most favorite subject is beautiful women from popular fairy tales and legends. The most skilled craftsman can make the best use of the natural colour and the shape of the raw material. The best jade sculptures were believe to be those carved in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Jade has been cherished by the Chinese as a symbol of many virtues. Its hardness suggests firmness and loyalty, and its luster projects purity and beauty.

Pearl

Fresh water pearls have been found in several species of clams that inhabit rivers in the United States. Most of these have been related to species of Unio and these are now becoming the basis of a fresh water cultured pearl industry in parts of the United States. Pearls form when an irritant becomes lodged between the mantle lobe and shell of the bivalve. The bivalve secretes layers of aragonite platelets around the irritant and this forms the pearl. If everything goes perfectly, the pearl nucleus will become separated from the shell and become completely surrounded by the mantle and the resultant growth will be a loose and spherical pearl. In some cases the nucleus does not become separated from the shell and the result is pearly blister on the inside of the shell. In cross section a pearl will appear to have concentric, smooth layers, but magnification will show these layers have an imbricate (brick wall-like) structure. These tiny plates are held together by an organic cementing agent called conchiolin. Magnification of the surface will show irregular lines that resemble topographic contours. The pearl derives its iridescence from the diffraction and interference of white light that is caused by the tiny overlapping platelets of calcium carbonate. The iridescence or orient of the pearl is a function of the numbers and thickness of these platelets. Mother of pearl or nacre forms on the inner walls or inner surfaces of the mollusk shell. Mother of pearl differs from pearl inasmuch as it is part of the mollusk shell whereas the pearl has become a separate entity from the shell.
Several factors influence the value of pearl and these include color, luster, iridescence, shape, and size.
Large, spherical pearls are the most desired and fine examples can command very high prices. Popularity of pearl colors varies from place to place and culture to culture. Cream rose' and light rose colors are almost universally liked and pure white or pure yellow pearls are almost universally disliked but the many shades in between enjoy higher or lower status in various places in the world. Oblong, tear drop or flat pearls usually command lower premiums. Semi-translucent pearls with high luster are more desired than opaque pearls with low luster. Orient or iridescence are also very important in grading pearls. Strings of pearls are graded not only on the above criteria but also how well the colors and luster of the individual pearls match in the total piece.
Pearl substitutes have been made from various resins and plastics and some are quite attractive though nearly valueless. These usually have a much lower specific gravity than the natural or cultured pearl. The gemologist's problem is usually that of determining whether a pearl or strand of pearls is natural or cultured.
A cultured pearl is made by inserting a rounded bead of clam shell between the shell and mantle of the oyster. These beads were formerly manufactured in Muscatine, Iowa, where a large pearl button industry once flourished. The pearl culturing industry was pioneered in Japan where oysters of the species Pinctada martensii serve as hosts. The bead is inserted in oysters that are about three years old. The oysters are harvested in one to two years and the pearls are removed. The oyster secretes calcium carbonate around the bead at a rate ranging from about 0.1 to 0.2 mm per year. Although pearl farming began in Japan, the industry has spread to parts of Australia and American companies are working with culturing fresh water pearls.
The only sure way to separate a natural from a cultured pearl is by X-ray. Rubbing the pearls across the teeth, by candling them, or using tests such as specific gravity can not make such separations.
Care of pearls is very important. Pearls can be easily discolored from skin oils. Properly strung pearls will have a knot between each pearl to keep them from rubbing together. The cultured pearl can be damaged by excessive wear that exposes the non-gem nucleus.

Silk

It is well-known that silk is discovered in China as one of the best materials for clothing-It has a look and feeling of richness that no other cloth can match. However, very few people know when or where or how it is discovered. Actually, it could date back to the 30th Century B.C when Huang Di(Yellow Emperor) came into power. There are many legends about the discovery of silk, some of the them are both romantic and mysterious.
Chinese people developed a new way by using silk to make clothes since the discovery of silk. This kind of clothes became popular soon. At that time, Chinas technology were developing very fast. In order to make more money, the sovereign emperor Wu Di of western Han Dynasty decided to develop trade with other countries.
From then on, Chinese silk, along with many Chinese inventions, were passed to Europe. Romans, especially women, were crazy for Chinese silk. Before that, Romans used to make clothes with linen cloth, animal skin and wool fabric. Now they all turned to silk. It was o symbol of wealth and high social statue for them to wear silk clothes. Because of their preferance of silk, Rome Empire was in serious financial difficulty that the emperor had to issue an order to forbid men to wear silk and also limited the amount of womens silk clothes. But this order didnt work well, for people still secretly bought silk from Persian merchants.
Thousands of years have passed since China first discovered silkworms. Nowadays, Silk, in some sense, is still some kind of luxury. Some countries are trying some new ways to get silk without silkworms. Hopefully, they can be successful. But whatever the result, nobody should forget that silk was, still is, and will always be our national treasure. Remember: What silk does for the body is what diamonds do for the hand.

Tea

People throughout China drink tea daily. Because of the geographic location and climate, different places grow various kinds of tea. In general, there are five kinds of tea classified according to different technique involved in the making of tea: Green tea - Longjin Wulong Scented tea - Jasmine tea Black tea compressed tea.
 In the past dynasties, people not only formed a special way of tea-drinking, but also developed an art form called tea-drinking. This art form comprises of many aspects. The most noticeable ones are the making of tea, the way of brewing, the drinking utensils such as tea pot. The art of making tea is called "Cha dao", which was soon accepted as one of the most important cultures that Japan learned from China.  ??

Cloisonne(ingTai Blue)

Closionne is one of the most famous arts and crafts in Beijing.It is a kind of traditional handicarft of enamelware created more than 500 years ago during the Emperor Xuan Des regin(1462-1435) in the Ming Dynasty.Later this kind of enamelware is known as Jingtai Bluein Chinese.It was so called because the color blue is the most frequently used color for enameling.Jingtai actually is the name of the 7th Emperor in the Ming Dynasty.Enamelware became very popular during this emperors reign(1450-1456).Cloisonne is so beautiful for its elegant molding,brilliant and dazzling color,and splendid and graceful design.There is a great variety of cloisonne products,such as vases,jars,bowls,boxes,plates,ashtrays and even some bracelets,necklaces,earrings and chopsticksall made of cloisonne.It is really a beautiful and magnificent handicraft art in Beijing.The skill and the workmanship of cloisonne processes.The skill and the workmanship of cloisonne marking have been handed down from the Ming Dynasty.

So when you have a chance to come to Beijing,the capital of New China for a visit,dont forget to go to the cloisonne factory to buy some souvenirs for your family and you beloved ones.

Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of 5000 thousand years. It is a summary of the experience of the laboring people over many centuries of struggle against disease. For thousands of years it has played an important part in curing disease and protecting the health of the Chinese people, thus contributing greatly to the growth and prosperity of China, as well as to the world - wide medical knowledge.
Traditional Chinese medicine is based on its own theories and contains a unique system in itself. It holds that man and his natural environment form an organic whole; many diseases are linked with the environment. It also holds that the various parts of the human body form an organic whole. When one is ill, the whole body is affected, so that treatment should emphasize the physical condition of the individual as a whole. It is still today widely used by the Chinese people and the whole world people in treating diseases. It is an integral part of world civilization and a common benefit for all mankind.
Since the founding of New China, Chinese Government have attached great importance to traditional Chinese medicine and laid down a series of principles, policies and measures, aiming to develop traditional Chinese medicine, integrate it with Western medicine and modernize the traditional Chinese medicine. It has progressed greatly over the past thirty years and more. Quite a number of Chinese medical workers have carried out studies on traditional Chinese medicine with modern scientific knowledge and methods. They have also used combined Chinese and western medical means in the treatment of a number of difficult and complicated cases, which have all shown satisfactory results. At the same time many researchers have studied the basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine such as yin and yang, theory of zang-fu, channels and collaterals, Qi and blood, the four diagnostic methods, the principles of qigong etc, with experimental research methods resulting in considerable progress.
In recent years, more and more people are interested in traditional Chinese medicine. They would like to accept its treatment. They are interested in learning its knowledge and technique to treat patients and studying why it works. Traditional Chinese medicine as a subject has been added into teaching plan in different famous medical colleges. Traditional Chinese medicine clinics and schools are everywhere in the world and increased continuously every year. With the present development of traditional Chinese medicine, its integration with modern science and technology will surely enhance its contribution to human health.