I have a rather different perspective—and one I have expressed since the early 1980s—particularly after hearing a lecture by Robert K Liu—an authority on Chinese beads.

Fred remarked, "Peking glass was actually made in Boshan but it is called "Peking" because it was largely marketed in Peking."

No—not true at all.

First, via Liu, the name "Peking glass" was dropped from my vocabulary at that time, because I accepted his recommendation that the "name" be considered obsolete, in-favor of "Chinese glass beads." That is how I have expressed it ever since then. And anyone can see I promoted this view from the beginning of the Forum, numerous times.

What were formerly called "Peking glass beads," were specific products. They were furnace-wound, onto rods coated with mandrel release (that is routinely found within the perforations of those beads). The beads were various sizes and shapes, and various colors—and there are decent collections of the variables. (I have documented them!) Also, the Chinese of that time (the Late Ming through the Xing Dynasties), did not indulge in much glass-bead decoration. "Peking glass" had nearly none, apart from being sometimes bi-colored (often green/white to resemble jadeite), and sometimes random crumbs (for the same reason). They did not indulge in skillful trailed decoration. So the grand proportion of these beads are monochromatic (!).

They were not "made in Boshan." The alternate name for "Peking glass beads" was "Canton beads." And this was at least one place where the beads were manufactured. Canton is within Guangzhou, in the south of China. (Not far from Hong Kong.)

In contrast, Boshan is a district within Shandong, in the northeast of China—directly west of South Korea, and much closer to Beijing.

The Boshan glass industry was founded well-into the 20th C.—and differs from Canton beadmaking because the skills exploited were/are much different. All sorts of beads, including decorated lampwork beads, were made at Boshan. And many of these products were direct imitations of Venetian products.

Unfortunately, it has become even more-common to refer to any Chinese beads as "Peking glass," whether made in Canton from furnace work, or made in Boshan from torchwork. I see this error constantly. And it appears that nearly no one understands what "Peking glass" was, nor why it should not be called that anymore.