Glassware that is not used to it, but in ancient times, it was a luxury.

Nowadays, glassware has become a common commodity in People's Daily life. This may not seem surprising. But in ancient times, thousands of years ago, glassware was one of the best luxuries. It used to be the patent of the royal family, and ordinary people could not afford it.

Glass can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians who invented it 4,000 years ago. In ancient Rome, stained glass made by the Romans was introduced to the East through India. The common "displacement" in ancient Qin and Han books is the transliteration of early Sanskrit glass. From the "glass spear" of the Western Han Dynasty to the "glass enamel of China", and then to the glass workshop, but the method of making glaze was soon lost, and the sculptor He Chou had to use celadon instead. This was the origin of the "glaze" that was later used as a building material, but it did not come into contact with the glass.
It was not until the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties that glass production became widespread. In the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi set up a glass factory in the Qing Palace and gathered skilled craftsmen from Shandong and Guangzhou. Both in making glass and using Western European technology introduced by Western missionaries and technicians, a large number of new varieties of glass were created, but the quality was still far from that of western glass.

Since the production process was not fully mastered when it was introduced, many glass products were shipped directly from the West, so this made glass more valuable at that time, and the common people had nothing to see, only the royal family. Or it could be enjoyed by aristocrats, but at the time it was mainly used to decorate houses, not as utensils. So, it can be said that at that time, glassware was a status symbol.
Many of the daily necessities of the Qing emperors, such as pen holders, cups for drinking water, beads for playing, etc., were made of glass. Even in some major traditional Chinese festivals or sacrificial activities, they used glassware. And it's not just the royal family. The love of glassware extends to the homes of the great and mighty. In many books describing ancient times, we can also glimpse people's pursuit of luxury goods such as glass. For example, in the four great classical novels A Dream of Red Mansions, glassware has been mentioned and described many times. In one chapter, for example, Jia Rong goes to Wang Xifeng's house to visit a guest who can be identified. The idea was to use the glass curtain wall to accentuate the facade.
This respect for glass was also reflected in the politics and foreign affairs of the time. Politically, the color and quality of the glass accessories on official dresses were used to distinguish rank. In diplomacy, when foreign envoys are welcomed, glassware is given as a gift.
Even in the fascinating literati world, there was no lack of love for glassware, and stationery such as ink and ink made of glass showed the elegance of literati.
The ancient people's pursuit and respect for glass products resulted in rare production due to the immaturity of glass manufacturing technology. Glass products had already been mass-produced on the production line and were no longer a luxury. The technology was obviously more advanced and beautiful than in ancient times.