Shandong county's eggshell painting tradition goes global

The art of painting intricate designs on eggshells became a sensation in the 1980s in Shanxian county – located in Heze city in East China's Shandong province.

This traditional craft involves delicately emptying eggs like chicken, duck and quail eggs, cleaning them and then painting beautiful patterns onto their surfaces. In olden times, the eggs were used to convey messages of greetings and blessings.

Fast forward to today and this ancient art form is thriving, thanks to entrepreneurs like Zhou Zhonghua, who founded a company in Shanxian county, dedicated to producing painted eggs.

Zhou and nearly 100 other skilled artisans meticulously paint traditional scenes like landscapes and wildlife on the eggshells. Their products have found markets all over the world.

Zhou's company has become a global leader in the painted egg industry, exporting millions of eggs annually to countries like Germany, Denmark and Italy.

Annual sales exceed 20 million yuan ($2.78 million), making it a significant player in the global market.

But how do they extract the egg yolk without breaking the shells? Zhou's son, Zhou Li, explained that the company had innovated in this area, securing patents for devices that separate eggshells and egg liquid, as well as methods for safe color matching of paints used in the process.

Zhou Li proudly shows delicate painted eggs ready for sale. [Photo by Wang Xiaolan for chinadaily.com.cn]

With its blend of tradition and innovation, the Chinese eggshell painting industry is not only preserving a form of cultural heritage, but is also making waves in the global market – one intricately painted egg at a time. (Edited by Zhou Yunlai)