This is a strand of Boshan hot-pinched overlay beads. It seems evident these were inspired by Venetian wound overlay beads. I discerned that Boshan beadmakers made drawn beads in about 1985, based upon beads I saw then. I didn't know about the present beads until the 1990s. I bought some in Beijing in 1997, though mine are more brownish/less red on their exteriors.
JDA.