Workers prepare to pull molten glass at the factory. ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY

"Glass pulling tests not only one's eyesight and precise hand coordination but also the ability to endure high temperatures of the blowpipe," Luo said. "I often get burned by the hot blowpipe and have been injured multiple times."

Nowadays, Luo can complete over 300 stems in an hour. The glass-pulling process, a critical step in the ancient craft of handmade glassware, is challenging due to the need to control length, thickness and gloss.

For instance, when producing a wineglass stem, the length must be controlled within 1 to 2 millimeters, and the thickness within 0.5 mm. Luo can control the deviation to within 0.2 mm.

Wineglasses made by glassblowers in Qixian account for about 80 percent of the national production. Qixian is also the largest production and export base for handmade glassware in the country.

From raw materials to finished products, glassware undergoes more than a dozen processes, some requiring dozens of steps. The most difficult part of handmade wineglass production is the glass-pulling process. The biggest advantage of handmade glassware is its unique, delicate design, though it inevitably results in lower production volume and higher costs.