Xue Xiaodong
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Xue Xiaodong, Male, Han, from Pingyao, Shanxi, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Pingyaotuiguangqiqi Lacquer Decoration Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-51). The tradition is documented in Pingyao, Shanxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Pingyaotuiguangqiqi Lacquer Decoration Craftsmanship in Pingyao, Shanxi: The Pingyao polished lacquerware lacquering and decoration technique centers on Pingyao County, Shanxi Province; the lacquerware workshops of the Jinzhong and Jinnan areas are mostly connected with it. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Pingyao Polished Lacquerware Factory was established, and veteran artists Qiao Quanyu, Ren Maolin and others performed and taught apprentices, bringing polished lacquerware production into a golden age. The Pingyao County Culture and Tourism Development Center is the project's protecting unit, and products are exported to more than thirty countries. The Pingyao polished lacquerware lacquering and decoration technique originated in Pingyao County in central Shanxi and spread to a wide area of northern China. Lacquerware made with this technique was already widely renowned as early as the Kaiyuan era of the Tang dynasty; during the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the rise of the Shanxi merchants, polished lacquerware made considerable progress. In 1989, Pingyao polished lacquerware won the national Golden Cup Award.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Xue Xiaodong is anchored in the documented technical standards of Pingyaotuiguangqiqi Lacquer Decoration Craftsmanship in Pingyao, Shanxi. Within the documented technical tradition of Pingyaotuiguangqiqi Lacquer Decoration Craftsmanship in Pingyao, Shanxi: Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The burnishing": Burnishing with a linen charged with refined lacquer polishes the surface to a mirror, and gives the craft its name. "A divided craft": From body-making and cloth backing to lacquering, colour and burnishing, each stage a separate hand and a large piece half a year in the making. "Works in national collections": Its pieces now sell in more than thirty countries, and some are held by the Great Hall of the People and the National Art Museum.
The burnishing
Burnishing with a linen charged with refined lacquer polishes the surface to a mirror, and gives the craft its name.
A divided craft
From body-making and cloth backing to lacquering, colour and burnishing, each stage a separate hand and a large piece half a year in the making.
Works in national collections
Its pieces now sell in more than thirty countries, and some are held by the Great Hall of the People and the National Art Museum.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Xue Xiaodong was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Pingyaotuiguangqiqi Lacquer Decoration Craftsmanship, with Pingyao, Shanxi as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Pingyaotuiguangqiqi Lacquer Decoration Craftsmanship in Pingyao, Shanxi: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Pingyao, Shanxi as its declared area, and Pingyao County Culture He Tourism Development Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
The Pingyao polished lacquerware lacquering and decoration technique originated in Pingyao County in central Shanxi and spread to a wide area of northern China. Lacquerware made with this technique was already widely renowned as early as the Kaiyuan era of the Tang dynasty; during the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the rise of the Shanxi merchants, polished lacquerware made considerable progress.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xue Shengjin | Pingyao, Shanxi | 03-1324 | Same declared area |
| Liang Zhongxiu | Pingyao, Shanxi | 04-1849 | Same declared area |
| Xue Xiaodong | Pingyao, Shanxi | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。