The ancient town of Pingyao has embarked on a quest to resurrect the lost art of handmade lacquerware, Sun Yuanqing and Sun Ruisheng report.

When a girl gets married in Pingyao, an ancient town in Shanxi province, at the top of her wish list is not a diamond ring, but a lacquer dressing case. Ideally it will be painted with peonies that stand for blessings, or scenarios from romantic fairy tales. The dressing case is considered not only a container of jewelry, but also a portent for a good life.

An award-winning Pingyao lacquerware cabinet.

But it has been increasingly hard to find authentic handmade Pingyao lacquerware in Pingyao as the market is flooded with modern lacquerware made with chemical lacquer. That is about to change as the city embarks on a journey to rediscover its cultural heritage.

Once the Wall Street of the East, Pingyao is trying to prove that it is much more than delicate courtyards and breathtaking city walls. Pingyao lacquerware, a listed national intangible cultural heritage that is becoming a rarity in modern consumerism and tourism, is one of the cultural assets being revived in the city.

"The modern lacquerwares can cater to tourists who want affordable souvenirs. However, they cannot be the ambassador for Pingyao lacquer art," says Xue Shengjin, lacquer art master and director of Tangdu Lacquer Art Museum.

"I'm not saying that chemical lacquer should be abandoned in Pingyao lacquer. (Whether using) chemical or natural lacquer, the key is to maintain the craftsmanship, like the hand polishing, the gold gilding and the ivory adorning," Xue says.

To preserve the genuine Pingyao lacquer art, the town invested 123 million yuan ($20.11 million) to build Tangdu Lacquer Art Industry Park in a former cotton mill to promote traditional Pingyao lacquer craftsmanship.

The park includes a production base dedicated to traditional lacquer making, a lacquer art museum, 15 masters' workshops and a training center that aims to breed the next generation of lacquer artists.