The Lacquer Spirit, the Ancestors, and My Mission to Protect Intangible Cultural Heritage

Cen Yanshu, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage known as the Cen family's traditional lacquer art, sets out to break her family's curse that no inheritor lives past the age of sixty and uncover the truth behind the arson at her grandmother's old home. In the process, she accidentally awakens the spirit of her Ming Dynasty ancestor, Shen Yanci. Together, the living woman and the spirit search for the lost Cen family lacquer manual and fight off descendants of the Zhou family, who covet it. Cen Yanshu awakens the "Spirit's Eye," enabling her to sense memories preserved in ancient lacquer and create lacquer talismans to pacify souls. With the wisdom of a master lacquer artist from a thousand years ago, Shen Yanci helps her solve the mysteries. With the help of her best friend Tao Xiaoman and Lu Ze, a cultural relics bureau specialist, they expose the conspiracy, restore ancient lacquerwork, and pass down the craft. In the end, they revive the endangered Cen family's lacquer art, revealing the bond between craftsmanship and lineage in the protection of intangible cultural heritage.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.