it was during the shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 bce) when the sophisticated techniques used in the lacquer process were first developed, and it became a highly artistic craft. various prehistoric lacquerware have been unearthed in china dating back to the neolithic period. the earliest extant lacquer object, a red wooden bowl, was unearthed at a hemudu culture (c. 5000–4500 bce) site. by the han dynasty (206 bce – 220 ce), many centers of lacquer production had become established. the knowledge of the chinese methods focusing on the lacquer process spread from china during the han, tang, and song dynasties. later on, it was eventually introduced to the rest of the world—korea, japan, southeast and south asia.