after opium was introduced to china, snuff bottles became popular. the chinese royalties were addicted to them, as they used opium as a long-life medicine. the design of the snuff bottles flourished because of the money that the rich poured into the industry. many of these bottles were made by talented artisans using tiny paints brushes; they were painted from inside of the bottle, reaching down from the top of the narrow neck. they are still highly collectible up to this day.