Tian-tsui

For 2,000 years, the Chinese have been using the iridescent blue feathers of kingfisher birds as an inlay for fine art objects and adornment, from hairpins, headdresses, and fans to panels and screens.

The effect is like cloisonné, but no enamel was able to rival the electric blue color.

So great was the export to sate Chinese demand, the trade of feathers may have been a major contributor to the wealth of the Khmer Empire, and used to help fund the construction of the magnificent temples near Siem Reap, Cambodia including Angkor Wat.

The finest pieces of kingfisher art were reserved for royalty or high-ranking Chinese government official (called a "mandarin (bureaucrat)").

Tian-tsui as a high art form came to an end after the Chinese Communist Revolution as the new communist government classifies Kingfishers as a Class 2 Protected Animal, preventing the harvest of the feathers required for the craft.