China
In 1978, the first lacquer bowls was found in The Hemudu culture, the Neolithic culture of China. The estimate date of Hemudu culture is about 5000 BC. It had been about 7000 years now. According to the ancient book of Han Feizi, Shun made lacquerware and Yu applied paint to the objects. Han (d. 223 BC) described the situation of the pre-Qin period, which was in the Neolithic Age. The earliest lacquerware products, the Hemudu red lacquer bowls, which were made in the Neolithic Age, revealed the beginning of the use of lacquer in China. The book of history, Shih Chi, noted that the wealth of a businessman who owned 1,000 decalitres of lacquerware could compare favourably with that of the aristocrat who owned 1,000 horses or chariots. This shows the high esteem accorded lacquerware in the early days.
Wang (2003) provides an excellent review of the issues related to the development of lacquerware in that period. The development of metallic cutting tools improved the preparation of the substrate of the lacquerware – the timber. Lacquerware for tableware, as a daily necessity was light, easy to wash, odour-free and easily resisted heat, rot and acid. As pleasurable objects, lacquerware, with its colours and waxing, colourful layers and beautiful patterns make copper products inferior by comparison. From the initial period to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD), the art of lacquerware continued to develop and became a highly sophisticated craft.