Snuff bottles represent a centuries-old cultural exchange between Europeans and the Chinese, where the import of tobacco products met the craftsmanship and artistry of Manchurian Beijing in the height of the Qing Dynasty. Manchu culture relished in entertainment and creature comforts, and snuff, being a mixture of ground tobacco and dried herbs, became very popular. In Europe, the powder was stored in boxes, but in the more humid China, medicine bottles were better for keeping the snuff fresh. Passed from Jesuit missionaries to the emperors, snuff bottles spread from the court to average citizens, and across Asia.
This past Sunday, I was able to take part in the art of inside-painting a snuff bottle, with the guidance of a master of the craft, 李静老师. The intricate reliefs are as challenging to create as they look, if not harder, requiring a deft hand and careful use of color. 李静 has been painting snuff bottles since she was a little girl, and described practicing straight lines for hours as a child. Her family has been passing down the tradition for many generations, and she herself is now one of the more famous snuff painters in Beijing. Similarly, their home in the hutongs is very traditional for Beijing locals, which with larger common areas and close quarters promotes communal living and a family-centered lifestyle.
After spending the morning in her family’s home, we explored the area on bikes and on foot, traversing the alleys both touristy and local, the traditional residential style and renovated for retail. We passed by the bell and drum towers, which are now infamous for drawing crowds of tourists. Built in the Yuan Dynasty, they used to announce the daytime (bell) and nighttime (drum) hours. Originally, the towers were the tallest buildings in Beijing, to best be heard by all in the hutongs.
Beijing is full of these contradictions between tradition and innovation. It’s an incredible experience to explore a city so globally connected and so in touch with its own heritage. A day of painting snuff bottles, standing beneath the drum and bell towers, and biking through the hutongs on a beautiful spring day was enough to remind me of that.
By Spring 2025 Student Ruby.
For the first time for one of these blogs, I’m taking on a new challenge: exploring without the involvement of The Beijing Center! This past weekend, I took the chance to take a pre-finals breath of fresh air and vacation for the first time in China, to the city of Tianjin.
I’ve written about my cultural exchange experiences in Beijing and at Minzu University before, but recently, I added something new to my roster: introducing my own culture to others.
If there’s any historical landmark related to China someone remembers learning about as a young child, odds are it’s the Great Wall of China. I have distinct memories of sitting in my third-grade social studies class, learning about this ancient marvel of engineering that was large it could be seen from space.
Beijing’s Temple of Heaven may be one of, if not, the most iconic tourist sites in Beijing. Constructed starting back in 1406, around the same time as the Forbidden City and the other respective temples of the Sun, Earth and Moon.