Beginning in the late 18^th century, a time when Ch’ien-lung’s reign was drawing to a close, the late Ch’ing was an era deeply shaken by dramatic shifts and schisms. The supremacy of the nation was slowly deteriorating. Up until the mid-19^th century, external invasions coupled with internal strife inflicted irreversible changes onto the political, economic and social realms. Shadowed by this decrepit environment, how did arts and crafts reinstate their rightful place in the art world during such a volatile period?

During the earlier years of the Ch’ing dynasty, imperial workshops dominated the trends and dictated the fashions. Responding to the forces of available sponsorship, consumer demand and structural changes in the markets, the nature behind the creation of arts and crafts began to change dramatically. Numerous imperial workshops have merged together or ceased operations altogether. Artisans were scattered back into the masses. Beijing along with other original, local centers of handicraft production such as Ching-te-chen, Kuang-chou or Yang-chou workshops etc., grew vibrant. The added impact of foreign industrialized manufacturing thrusted Chinese handicraft production right into modernity. Between the end of the 19^th and the early 20^th centuries, private, commercial capital combined forces with government support in order to institute businesses that eventually amounted to a corporate scale. They mass-produced merchandise catering to popular demand, in an earnest attempt to generate strong markets and boost the national economy. The fine specimens of handicrafts that emerge are characterized by dazzling colours, unsurpassed dexterity, abundant auspiciousness and the prevailing tastes of the time.