Reworking ancient ideas of Chinese lacquerware

Traditional handmade toys from a German studio.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Though the local government in Nanchang has set up an institution for Feng to use as an incubator to train youngsters, Feng says the quality of students is not satisfactory.

He says that today's young are generally too fickle to take up the art seriously.

"To master traditional skills, you have to read, practice writing, and nurture a comprehensive understanding of the art."

He adds the relatively low wages earned from the art compared with other careers is another hurdle to attracting talent.

So, it seems that a better option may be to create a business which can blend traditional skills with modern industry.

And, some people at the expo are making attempts in this direction.

For instance, Zhang Shuyang, a Shanghai-based veteran antique collector, set up a luxury watch studio where he uses porcelain to make dials and elements from ancient bronze mirror to make the watch movements.

Explaining what he hopes to achieve, Zhang says: "It (the piece) has to be original, unique, handmade and be made by someone with the highest skills.

"When you mimic others' work, you cannot call it fine art. Consequently, I put my own DNA into the products, to combine tradition and modern design."

Now, several masters from China's porcelain hub of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, have joined him.

He also says: "It (the product) has to be genuinely Chinese. Though watches come from the West, we don't have to follow them. Our traditional craftsmanship can provide lots of inspiration."