Hiromi Kinoshita Foreign glass excavated in China, from the 4th to 12th centuries

In China, glass has always been a material closely connected with the West. Unlike jade-working, silk-weaving or ceramic production, glassmaking was not a native Chinese tradition and was never carried out in large quantities. Foreign glassware was especially treasured and valued because of its superior quality, range of colour, transparency, intricate form, and elaborate decoration.