# 73. Luminous cup (夜光杯）- a visit to the factory outlet.
Yeguangbei (literally, the night-glittering cup) is a special jade product of Jiuquan, Gansu Province. Since very ancient times, the Qilian Mountains of Gansu have produced a beautiful jade of brilliant white, green, black and yellow colours. Local artisans grind and polish it into wine cups either of a pure colour or of mixed colours. They are of various forms, wine cups with stems, flat-bottomed cups, and cups with cut designs, all marked by a simple and elegant taste. They are all the more cherished because they stand sudden contact with extreme heat or cold. Legend says that King Mu (c. 10th century B.C.) of the Zhou Dynasty once drank with this cup and found it glittering snow-white in the moonlight. It was then named the "night-glittering cup". It became more famous after the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Han sang of it in the following lines: Grape wine in luminous cups shine. As we raise them to lips the lute strikes up fast. Laugh not if we fall drunk on the battlefield. Tell us how many ever returned from the war. Jiuquan has today a well-established factory specializing in the making of such "luminous cups". Nowadays visitors to the town, apart from seeing Jiayuguan Pass, the western end of the Great Wall, all wish to make a tour of this factory, buying a few cups as a souvenir.
#74. A promotor explaining the manufacturing process of a luminous cup from the raw material. Please note the piece of cylindrical raw jade on the right is been transformed into the shape of the cup (extreme left).
#75. Introduction of Jiuguan Luminous Cup - if you are really interested to know about the history of 酒泉夜光杯.
#76. Tang Dynasty poet Wang Han. If you like poem, this is really a beautiful piece (a sad feeling and frustrated with the war).
"Grape wine in luminous cups shine.
As we raise them to lips the lute strikes up fast.
Laugh not if we fall drunk on the battlefield.
Tell us how many ever returned from the war".
