Yijun Wang (New York University)

In the Qing dynasty, pewter was widely used to produce articles of everyday use. Pewter artisans in Chaozhou achieved great success in both domestic and international markets. Their products reached the Forbidden City and the Southeast Asian market. In the nineteenth century, they expanded their shops to Canton, Swatow, and Hong Kong. This lecture will discuss the success of Chaozhou pewter workshops by contextualizing them in the networks of global trade, migration, and the local ecology of craft. It argues that the flourishing global trade and migration connections provided Chaozhou artisans new materials, stylistic inspirations, and possibilities to expand their market. In addition, the local craft community in hinterland areas formed the supply chain for pewter production. The flows of materials, people, and skills within and beyond the Pearl River Delta formed an ecology that contributed to the dynamic craft center in South China.