Uncovering Liuli in This Mortal World (8)

When they presented the first exhibition on the mainland, at the Palace Museum in 1993, they had the Han liuli ear cups specially installed together with their works as a form of respect to their predecessors.

Over the last 25 years, Yang and Chang have spent all their efforts learning, experimenting and creating glass art works, which are richly imbued with a traditional Chinese artistic vocabulary and human philosophy.

In 1996, they visited Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in Gansu province. While impressed by the beauty of the colorful murals they also found out many of the murals are gradually deteriorating. It prompted Yang to create murals using liuli.

For five months in 1999, Yang and her team worked day and night to sculpt the Guanyin of Thousand Arms and Eyes in Dunhuang's third grotto. In May 2000, a 160-cm liuli Guanyin made its debut in Dunhuang. She also created a 4.4-meter-tall Guanyin to exhibit in Taiwan, Singapore and Shanghai.

"Every great craft has its rise and fall. The brilliant light of liuli has shone through thousands of years of Chinese history," Chang says. "Perhaps we can do more than revive an art. We can also maintain a cultural spirit by learning to respect the tradition. Through liuli sculpture, we tell Chinese stories and convey the message of the significance of inheriting the past and passing the emotion on to future generations."

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