A golden opportunity

It takes accuracy and precision to stick the thin gold foil onto the lacquer as well.

"The foil will look foggy if stuck to the lacquer too early, or comes off too late, because natural lacquer contains water," he says. "We have to touch the lacquer with our fingers to decide the right time."

Hou's skills made great strides when he joined an antique restoration project at the Palace Museum from 2014-16. When trying to restore a blue lacquer item from the Qing era, he had to apply eight layers of paint, each no more than 2 millimeters thick, to achieve the original color.

"The color should go from light to dark and lacquer application has to be on the same area and done around the same time daily to avoid chromatic aberration," Hou says.

The experience granted him a new understanding about items with gold lacquer inlays. Other than appreciating the art, the history behind each delicate antique has to be understood.

In 2019, Hou was named a Beijing art and crafts master by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and the Beijing Arts and Crafts Trade Association. In addition to restoration work, Hou has also worked to apply traditional crafts to modern life. He and his colleagues have developed many products to sell, such as ornaments, paintings and furniture, that feature gold lacquer inlays. But no matter how busy he is, he continues to hone his skills. Hou says he is inspired by his teacher Hu Xin's commitment to the work.

"You can refer to many photos in search of inspiration," says Hu. "But at the end of the day, you need to have something in your mind that you want to express through the art."

Hou has presented classic traditional paintings through gold lacquer inlaying by experimenting and says the efforts of artisans, especially those ancient craftsmen, made him realize that only practice will refine his skills.

"It's a lifetime's honor to restore items made by the venerable masters," says Hou.