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Ancient porcelain trade revitalized and thriving on international stage
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When Tan Guanghui started working in a state-owned porcelain factory at age 18, Guangzhou colored porcelain was almost exclusively sold to Eastern European countries.
Tan worked on a quota system, with each factory allocated a certain number of porcelain ware to be produced every year. There were no worries about distribution or sales.
Guangzhou colored porcelain, called guangcai, requires great skills to color the porcelain with enamels, mostly in shades of green, pink and golden. As state-owned factories fell by the wayside, Tan became a master and later opened his own factory, exporting mainly to the Middle East in the 1990s.
“Guangcai was a product of international trade since it was established,” Tan told Shanghai Daily. “It was exclusively done for export, while the paint was imported. The skills are a combination of local and foreign crafts.”
The main feature of guangcai lies in its use of gold to draw lines, fill blanks or to mix with other colors. The end product is glorious artwork dating back more than 300 years.
“Guangcai is very earthy in a way,” Tan explained. “Foreigners back then, and even today, regarded it as quintessentially Chinese — the flowers, birds, red, green and gold. Since it was mainly for export, the porcelain wasn’t very well known domestically until more recent years. Now I have quite a lot of domestic customers.”
Tan’s studio aims for a niche market, while hosting talks and workshops to popularize the skill. He encourages his pupils to innovate on the basis of traditional skills.
“I don’t agree that cultural heritage must be carried on just as it was originally,” Tan said. “That creates a dead art. Only by re-innovating with modern techniques and tastes can we keep it alive again and close to the public.”
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