Jade has always been close to the hearts of the Chinese, and while glass was a glittering and translucent material in the West, inspired by precious stones of varying colors, in China it developed primarily as a jade substitute, having a soft, opaque texture.
中國人對於玉器有一股獨特的偏愛，因此在玻璃的製造上，不同於西方燒製玻璃以各色寶石晶瑩透光的質感為上品；而發展出一種不透明、具溫潤質感的「仿玉」琉璃來。