by Xinhua writers Lou Chen, Shen Yang, Huang Haoran
JINGDEZHEN, Jiangxi Province, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Silver-haired foremen carry chunks of pinewood, stoke them into a burning brick kiln and wait patiently for the chunky clay to become translucent porcelain. The seasoned masters drink dark tea from small pots to pass the time and remain vigilant over the night. It may take days for the kiln to finally work its wonders.
In another corner of Jingdezhen, the city synonymous with porcelain, blonde-haired pilgrim potters also have hopes for the inconspicuous clay. Becca Irvin, 27, a pottery artist from North Carolina, works at a private studio in an old wooden house, surrounded by a small ravine and bamboo trees.
Jingdezhen, the world's capital of ceramics, is a small city in the mountains of east China's Jiangxi Province. Today, it hosts both tradition and change and draws people from East and West like a magnet.
The senior foremen were working at a ceremonial re-burning of a centuries-old gourd-shaped kiln in Jingdezhen. The ceremony was a much-acclaimed event at the 2019 China Jingdezhen International Ceramic Fair, an annual event in its 16th session. The fair attracts thousands of porcelain masters, students, experimental artists and entrepreneurs every year. It closed on Tuesday.
Jingdezhen's history of ceramic-making dates back over 2,000 years. Its role as an official and royal kiln pushed its porcelain-making technique to the highest in history. However, as the dynastic system fell, the city entered a low ebb both artistically and economically. In the 1990s, it eventually lost its edge over other porcelain-making cities. At small shops, shoddily made vases and wares were branded Jingdezhen, and they were almost always on sale. The city that once prided itself on prestigious craftsmanship was overshadowed by industrial production lines that churn out impeccable cups and dishes.
In recent decades, Jingdezhen has reshaped its image. This month, a national ceramic culture inheritance and innovation pilot zone threw the city into a new spotlight. The city is mulling new projects in the conservation of tradition, innovation, cultural tourism and exchange.
TRADITION LIVES
Cheng Guanghui, 65, is one of the kiln fire masters. Most of the porcelain products are now made in gas-fired kilns with temperature-control functions, though a handful of firewood-stoked kilns exist in the suburbs of the city. For Cheng, re-firing the old kiln has critical importance.
"If we do not fire up the old kilns, the heritage will die in our hands," he said. People favor gas kilns because they are easy, fast and guarantee a standard quality, but Cheng said the firewood kilns produce porcelains that are less predictable and have their own unique character. "Put two vases of the same size in the same position into the firewood kiln, they will be different from one another after the burning process," he said.
Cheng and his colleagues stoked the furnaces almost every three minutes to ensure the temperature was steady. Though the re-firing process could take days and is more ceremonial than practical, Cheng and his colleagues were excited to participate.
Jingdezhen's conservation of tradition, like the firewood kilns, has been a success. From 2009, 10 classic types of old kilns have been re-burned. The city has 393 city-level intangible heritage masters, 10 of whom hold national accreditation.
In the heart of Jingdezhen, a royal kiln remains the soul of the city. Royal mandate demanded the best quality in the most beautiful patterns and perfect shapes. "Royal kilns made porcelain regardless of cost. Workers usually made four to 10 copies, but only shipped the best one to the emperor, and smashed up the rest. So, to this day, we have thick layers of potsherds in the ground," said Fu Hongsong, a docent of the royal kiln site. Archaeologists and porcelain researchers are sorting and studying the potsherds.
In areas surrounding the royal kiln, a large-scale restoration project is underway. "When the project is finished, Jingdezhen's heritage will be more visible, and this place will be more beautiful," said Fu.
Over the next five years, dilapidated houses in a 13-square-km area will be repaired and restored to their original look. The project is expected to cost around five billion yuan (714 million U.S. dollars), said Liu Zili, board chairman of Jingdezhen Ceramic Culture Tourism Group, a state-owned company that is undertaking the renovation and development.
"We need to protect the physical space of history because there is a tremendous amount of information in it. And we need to pass down our cultural heritage, because that is the soul of the city," Liu said.
CULTURE SHARED
Liu, in his 50s, describes Jingdezhen as a city of migrants. His father came to Jingdezhen from Hunan Province in the 1950s. "The most distinctive feature about Jingdezhen is its uninterrupted passing-down of tradition. It is a fertile land of ceramics that never fails to attract," he said.
According to government statistics, about 150,000 people, roughly a fourth of the city's downtown population, work in the porcelain industry. Every year, about 30,000 migrants, called jingpiao, live in the city, including 5,000 from overseas.
Jiao Mengtian lived in the United States for several years before coming to Jingdezhen. "When I began to develop an interest in ceramics, I thought I should come to see its origin. I'm particularly interested in colored glaze work. The colors are extremely bold and powerful," he said.
"Ceramics embrace change. I'm here to learn the tradition, and then create my own works," he said.
Jingdezhen has drawn up special plans for building a pilot zone to attract talent from both home and abroad, said Chen Ying, an official with the city's talent bureau. "Talent will have to be the main driving force if Jingdezhen is to move ahead, so the city is putting a lot of efforts into this," he said.
Today, Jingdezhen is a thriving place of cultural exchange. At the city's landmark Taoxichuan, an industrial heritage complex, about 200 overseas pottery artists presented their signature pieces during the autumn fair. The red-bricked buildings have served as an incubator for aspiring students, independent artists, entrepreneurs and merchants. In 2018, Taoxichuan reported 101 million yuan in revenue, up 36 percent year on year.
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Tea sets, dinner wares and vases made in Jingdezhen used to be much-coveted luxury commodities in the Western world. Jingdezhen was once a symbol of worldwide trade, and it is ready to assume a bigger role in international cultural exchange.
Blue and white porcelain is the signature design of Jingdezhen. At the expo, Simon Van Oosten from Delft, the Netherlands showed off his painting skills on the distinctive porcelain. In the 17th century, with the arrival of porcelain from China, workers in Delft began experimenting with the blue and white patterns.
"Even today, the level of skills of the Chinese porcelain makers is very impressive," said Oosten, head of decoration of Heinen Delfts Blauw, a Dutch porcelain company.
At the Sanbao International Ceramic Village, Annie Long from Byron Bay in Australia works on a clay structure. "Jingdezhen attracts me because of the whole sense of a long history in one place," she said.
"I'm used to working in a studio in which I do every step, but here, people rely on each other to finish the steps. I'm going to get someone to make a mold for me," she said.
Long and Becca Irvin are both comfortable in the land of ceramics, though they do miss a few home comforts. "The nearest coffee shop is about two miles from here. I would be glad to see more coffee places here," Irvin said.
