Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A7

October 22, 2021

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » Nation

A small city with a big porcelain soul

Source: Xinhua | 00:13 UTC+8 October 22, 2021 | Print Edition

Jingdezhen, a small city in the mountains of east China’s Jiangxi Province, has long been associated with the creation of quality ceramics.

Often called the “porcelain capital” for its important role in the domestic and international ceramic industry, Jingdezhen has been dedicated to the craft for over 1,800 years.

Due to its role as an official and royal kiln, it developed porcelain-making techniques that placed it in a league of its own.

Even today, a wide variety of porcelain products are still being exported to the world from Jingdezhen. Thousands of artists and lovers of ceramics visit here each year for a glimpse of the world’s best china.

It currently boasts over 8,300 ceramic enterprises and more than 9,800 self-employed ceramic practitioners, while about 10 percent of its population is engaged in related businesses.

Here generations of ceramic artisans have enacted a profound interpretation of the spirit of craftsmanship: diligence, perfection, innovation. This is also the secret of the fine quality of the ceramics produced in Jingdezhen.

Just like the 72 transformations of Monkey King, a handful of clay cannot be transformed into a fine piece of Jingdezhen porcelain without going through a total of 72 procedures.

Experience and skill are essential. Hu Jiawang has a unique trick of “spitting.” He judges the temperature in the kiln by the speed at which his spit evaporates from it, a method that is often more accurate than the thermometer.

And this is just the start. There are many more mysteries to be unpacked before one can fully understand the craft.

“A piece of real art is created by the attitude of excellence, inner-peace, full-heartedness and precise skills,” said Xiang Yuanhua, one inheritor of the imperial kiln techniques and methods.

Xiang’s company, Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Culture Development Co Ltd, restores ancient porcelain, some of which is displayed in the palace museums of Beijing and Taipei. Among the 20,000 pieces produced by his company every year, only about US$2,000 items make the grade.

The fate of items that do not is brutal — they are smashed or discarded.

Even with such high standards, Jingdezhen’s collection both above ground and underground, is second to none in the world.

Nation


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend