A great many interesting stories have also been handed down during the long history of the family. The thirteenth generation descendant of Wang Xuan, Wang Jianyao, made a copper pot for Labrang Temple located in Gansu, large enough to provide tea for more than a thousand monks at the same time. Whoever scooped the water had to climb up a ladder just to reach the brim of the pot. Another legend goes that in order to produce his art, a craftsman of the Wang Family meditated before the portrait of his ancestors, carrying burning incense, until the design appeared in his mind. If he intended to draw farm cattle, he would place a basin of water beside one, just out of reach, then watch the animal struggle to reach it. In this way, he was able to observe the strength of the animal, adding much dynamism to his finished work.

 Wang Yuancai has his own philosophy: “Founding is a process which creates beauty from ugliness. After being melted in a furnace at high temperatures, blocks of unshapely, unformed iron are placed into moulds, and finally turned into exquisite artifacts. Fire is needed for the transformation. It is much the same with life.”

Yongjing County is home to both the Han and Tibetan ethnic groups, and is the land through which the Silk Road once ran. Linxia, 80 kilometers from Yongjing, used to be one of six important tea-horse trading centers during the Ming Dynasty, where a great deal of business was conducted including the sale of religious items. Since ancient times, Yongjing has been famous for its excellent workmen and skilled craftsmen, including tailors, carpenters, and stonemasons.

There is an old saying in China, “Local geography shapes the characters of local people.” After the Wang Family emigrated to Bangechuan, they were able to purchase a lot of cheap farmland and gain access to trade with Tibet. An ever-increasing demand for iron implements led to much success for the Wangs over the ensuing years, and is why the business is still going strong today.