Through the Internet, silversmiths sell products across the world

There live a group of silversmiths in Xinhua Village in Yunnan’s Heqin County.

Their marvellous skills date back more than a thousand years and some are skilled enough to craft a pot out of a single sheet of silver. The whole process takes about 15 days and the silversmith needs to beat the sheet of silver more than 100,000 times. Today, these artisans sell their products across the world through the Internet and their online Taobao shops.

In Xinhua Village, almost every family is engaged in making silverware. According to the Annals of Heqing County, the villagers began to make ethnic jewellery and other similar objects as early as in the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). Thus, the village was already the brass and silver handicraft centre of the province during the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom period, which existed alongside the Tang Dynasty(618-907).

Cun Zhichang, a silversmith in Xinhua Village, now lives with a big family. Despite his old age, he still gets up in the early morning to practice his craft. Today, he is going to make a dragon and phoenix bracelet.

Cun uses seven or eight tools to carve dragon scales on the bracelet. “The dragon must soar and the phoenix must dance. These are the basic requirements for this type of bracelet,” said Cun. When he was only fifteen years old, he went to Tibet to make silverware. He is especially good at making bracelets.

Cun pushes up his spectacles and hands over a notebook, which records in detail all of his customer names, preferred bracelet styles and delivery dates.

 “Look, it will take me three months to fulfil these orders,” Cun said with a smile. “My granddaughter helps me run an online shop and the orders come from all over the country.”

Cun earns about 300 yuan each day. His bracelets are sold for 16 yuan per gram— 4 yuan for the silver and 12 yuan for the time it takes to make them. Since a bracelet takes him an entire day to make, his customers often have to wait as long as six months to receive shipment. Feeling sorry for the customers, he sometimes works until late at night so that the bracelets are completed early. “Look, this dragon and phoenix bracelet is ordered by a would-be bride,” he said.

Cun’s silver Tibetan knives are also sold in France. Last year, a French couple came to stay at his home for four days to watch the process of how he made a silver Tibetan knife, Cun said. 

Through the Internet, silversmiths sell products across the world

There live a group of silversmiths in Xinhua Village in Yunnans Heqin County. Their marvellous skills date back more than a thousand years and some are skilled enough to craft a pot out of a single sheet of silver. The whole process takes about 15 days and the silversmith needs to beat the sheet of silver more than 100,000 times. Today, these artisans sell their products across the world through the Internet and their online Taobao shops. In Xinhua Village, almost every family is engaged in making silverware. According to the Annals of Heqing County, the villagers began to make ethnic jewellery and other similar objects as early as in the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). Thus, the village was already the brass and silver handicraft centre of the province during the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom period, which existed alongside the Tang Dynasty(618-907). Cun Zhichang, a silversmith in Xinhua Village, now lives with a big family. Despite his old age, he still gets up in the early morning to practice his craft. Today, he is going to make a dragon and phoenix bracelet. Cun uses seven or eight tools to carve dragon scales on the bracelet. The dragon must soar and the phoenix must dance. These are the basic requirements for this type of bracelet, said Cun. When he was only fifteen years old, he went to Tibet to make silverware. He is especially good at making bracelets. Cun pushes up his spectacles and hands over a notebook, which records in detail all of his customer names, preferred bracelet styles and delivery dates. Look, it will take me three months to fulfil these orders, Cun said with a smile. My granddaughter helps me run an online shop and the orders come from all over the country. Cun earns about 300 yuan each day. His bracelets are sold for 16 yuan per gram 4 yuan for the silver and 12 yuan for the time it takes to make them. Since a bracelet takes him an entire day to make, his customers often have to wait as long as six months to receive shipment. Feeling sorry for the customers, he sometimes works until late at night so that the bracelets are completed early. Look, this dragon and phoenix bracelet is ordered by a would-be bride, he said. Cuns silver Tibetan knives are also sold in France. Last year, a French couple came to stay at his home for four days to watch the process of how he made a silver Tibetan knife, Cun said.