KARUNA SHINSHO, INSIDE ASIA: Well, artists often look to their surroundings for ideas. But one woman is finding inspiration from an ancient craft that has been buried in time until now. As INSIDE ASIA's Kurt Ashan (ph) explains, she's trying to ensure it does not get lost again.</s>CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): When Taiwan film star Yang Hui Shang stopped acting at the height of her career, few believed her decision to become a glass sculptor would last. But her latest exhibition in Hong Kong has proven skeptics wrong. She takes inspiration from China's cultural and philosophical past, weaving elements of poetry, proverbs, and Buddhism into her works. But trying to express these ideas has not been easy for Yang.</s>YANG (through translator): Ever since I started to master the skill of making the traditional Buddha figure to the further creation of it, I've always hoped to transmit the Buddhist religion's philosophy through my works. But it's not easy to communicate some of the deeper religious philosophies through glass art.</s>ASHAN: In bringing them to life, Yang chose one of the most difficult art forms, a process of making glass sculptures known as pot duver (ph). The method involves 12 steps from the creation of clay or wooden molds to the pouring of molten crystal at 1,000 degrees Celsius. Yang first thought the method originated in France but later learned that it was used in China more than 2,000 years ago. It faded from Chinese history because artists didn't always pass their skills on to succeeding generations. With its resurrection, Yang hopes to preserve this most important element of China's past.</s>YANG (through translator): There were the first Chinese people to rediscover glass art. We hope that when our works are exhibited in another part of the world, visitors can have a feel of China's cultural flavor and style without taking note of the origin of such works and who the creator is.</s>ASHAN: Having established herself as a top glass sculptor, Yang is now looking to set up a school for Chinese glass art in the region. For INSIDE ASIA, I'm Kurt Ashan.
Taiwan Film Star Resurrects Glass Sculpting