Sisters are a glass act honoring heritage

She requested the presence of Chang Hong's great-great-grandparents and awarded them a plaque, which Chang Hong remembers seeing and admiring when she was young. After that, Chang family's grape-making craft became famous. In 1915, it won a top prize at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and the "grapes" were sold to more than 20 countries.

"In that turbulent era, my ancestors invented the craft and made it prosper; it was really amazing. If the craft were lost in my time, I would feel guilty," says Chang Hong who, after reading the report, talked to her younger sister Chang Yan, and they decided together to revive the craft.

Chang Yan says: "We were surprised that, after so many years, there were still people who knew about the craft, but we felt bad seeing the report describing it as 'lost'. Although we no longer made the 'grapes' at that time, we are still descendants of the family, and the craft had not yet been lost totally."

Chang Hong adds that since the grapes that her ancestors made were mostly destroyed or lost over the years, when they pass away, few people will be able to see the works with their own eyes. "It will become nothing but a name in a history book. We don't want that to happen and want to pass it down," says Chang Hong.

The Chang sisters grew up seeing their elder relatives making "grapes", which involves 11 complicated procedures, but they had never completed a piece by themselves before.

"My grandaunt Chang Yuling required us to stay by her side when she made the 'grapes'. She told us that maybe we would not become professional craftswomen in the future, but must know how to make them," recalls Chang Hong.