Demand for natural Chinese lacquer is growing steadily in the new Chinese-style home furnishing, cultural and creative gifting and high-end customization markets, and leading lacquer enterprises are accelerating their move toward a full 'materials + objects + lifestyle' chain.
Three growing scenarios
- New Chinese-style home furnishing: the warm texture and environmental attributes of natural Chinese lacquer suit the needs of high-end homes and spatial display;
- Cultural and creative gifting: its intangible cultural heritage character and customizable expression make lacquer art creative products a new choice for official and business gifting;
- High-end customization: demand for custom lacquer art works, from tea ware and studio accessories to art installations, is rising steadily.
Changes on the industry side
As demand heats up, the supply side is also undergoing structural change: leading enterprises no longer confine themselves to raw materials or single objects, but extend across the full 'materials + objects + lifestyle' chain, building their own lacquer groves, standardizing refining and operating with brands to address the long-standing problems of unstable raw material supply, uneven quality and insufficient price premiums.
Challenges still ahead
The industry still faces real challenges: an aging population of lacquer farmers, a shortage of young skilled talent, and limited consumer awareness of natural Chinese lacquer. It is widely held in the industry that standardized production and consumer education must advance together for the industry to truly enter a virtuous cycle.