In the late 1920s and 1930s Chinese artisans began making paperweights of above average quality. They made both lampwork and millefiori style paperweights - some, loosely based on classical French and 19th century American paperweight designs. They also made sulphide paperweights mostly limited to small painted animals appearing in miniature paperweights. Some of the sulphides which can be found include birds, monkeys, frogs, ducks and in rare occasions a seated monk - the birds are the most common Chinese sulphide of the early period. During this first half of the 20th century the Chinese also produced unique hand-painted scenes executed on white discs and encapsulated in clear glass. These range in quality but are often quite interesting because they combine both skilled painting and hot glass - a technique which was devised and refined by these early Chinese paperweight artists.  In the second half of the 20th century paperweight production in China excelled at a rapid pace. These works like the former were produced for export to be sold to foreign markets however in the second period paperweights and other decorative glassware were produced in vast quantities and thus have only decorative appeal.