Beijing craftsmen have a more than 600-year history of working with ivory, jade, lacquer ware and metal to create intricate pieces fit for imperial tastes. Jingtailan, a very complex kind of decorative enamelware using metal, in particular has a strong Beijing-based history, and in 2006 was declared an official Chinese cultural heritage.

People in Beijing now have the opportunity to witness the whole jingtailan process for free at the Beijing Enamel Factory in Dongcheng district, which also has a museum dedicated to the art form. Visitors can watch in the 1,000-square-meter workshop as a humble copper base metal transforms into a colorful and exquisite vase, pot, plate, bowl or other item.

Jingtailan, meaning the blue of Emperor Jingtai, prevailed during said emperor's reign and beyond during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), though the technique came about during the tail end of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368).

"Jingtailan ... embodies Beijing's culture and craftsmanship," said Miao Yongsheng, director of management at the Beijing Enamel Factory. "We have opened up our workshop to show visitors how a piece of artwork is born, step by step."

Located in the east wings of the first and second floors of the factory, the workshop is divided into different sections for each of the five manufacturing steps. Producing just one piece of jingtailan takes three to four months.

First, craftsmen make a base metal from red copper, and then, using small pliers or tweezers, bend copper wires into patterns or shapes that will define the colored areas of the piece. Those patterned wires will be adhered to the base metal with glue made from the traditional Chinese medicine herb baiji.

After soldering, craftsmen carefully apply colors to the object. Those colors are made from minerals, giving the enamelware a natural look that lasts for a long time without fading. Craftsmen use a dropper to suck up color and then dot it between the copper wires. They use cotton to absorb the water, leaving only the powered color on the surface.

After the color has completely dried, the piece is fired for three to five minutes, then once again colored for extra reinforcement and fired yet again. The enamel shrinks down after each firing, and the color becomes more and more vibrant. This process must be repeated three times until the coloring reaches the edges of the copper wires.

Once the firing is completed, the piece is polished with grindstones and cloth to remove any impurities. Finally, the polished item is dipped into a container of gilding liquid that gives all the designs a golden outline.

The exhaustive process can only be completed in the hands of a skilled person.

"It takes decades for a craftsman to master the manufacturing steps," Miao said. "The whole process is done by people rather than machines."

According to Miao, the Beijing Enamel Factory is currently putting together a competition to attract more young people to the special form of craftsmanship practiced there. They're also planning on constructing additional exhibition spaces.

"We will build another jingtailan museum which will tell people the history of this craft and display the tools that craftsmen used in the past. This will allow more people to understand the art of jingtailan more deeply," Miao said.