*Firing Technique of Guangzhou Decorative Porce...

88.*Firing Technique of Guangzhou Decorative Porcelain

Nominating Unit: City of Guangzhou

Guangzhou decorative porcelain, also known as Zhijin (weaving gold) Ceramics, is shortly referred to as Guang Ceramics. Its firing technique dates back to the color enamels used on the non-glaze white porcelain body in the middle and late years of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty. It formed a scale in the years of Emperor Yongzheng, matured during the reign of Emperor Qianlong and Jiaqing and became prosperous in the late Qing Dynasty. Ever since the Guang Ceramics stood out, it became the tribute in the palaces of the Qing Dynasty with two works in the years of Emperor Qian Long still reserved in the Forbidden City in Beijing----Pin Bowl and Pipa Bottle with Convex Beads. After the mid-Qing Dynasty, as a result of the integration of western technology, the Guang Ceramics was favored especially by the West. The royal dignitaries sent the orders with samples one after another, which helped the Guang Ceramics rank among the three top exporting porcelains. Together with Blue-and-White Porcelain and Wucai (Five-Color) Porcelain , it found a good sale in more than a hundred countries in Europe, America and Asia. The painted ceramics with armour pattern and armory porcelain plates ordered by France and Austria Royal then still survive abroad. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, a number of famous masters of Lingnan School of painting were involved in the research and manufacturing of Guang Ceramics. The introduction of the traditional Chinese painting techniques greatly enriched the techniques and characteristics of Guang Ceramics. “Twelve King Batting Quivers” made by Liu Qunxin was awarded in 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the Guang Ceramics production was forced to stop due to the chaos and social unrest. It was not until the founding of the People’s Republic of China and with the installation of Guang Ceramics Processing Factory and Guangzhou Zhijin Ceramics Craft Factory that the Guang Ceramics was reborn.

Guangzhou decorative porcelain is made by firing the white porcelain body covered by colorful design. There are about more than 2000 colors and designs. The production process includes 7 parts: selection, design, scanning lines, coloring, weaving gold, overglazing and firing, all of which have many special requirements and unique skills. The selected porcelain bodies are mostly from Jingdezhen with requirement of being as white as polished jades so as to present the special effect of “thousands of spun gold weaving into jade” after coloring. Scanning lines and color painting are the important parts that mostly reflect the skills in Cantonese Ceramics craftsmanship. It boasts fine painting technique, including the unique techniques such as Sanhua (scattering flower) Magpie, Woven Gold and Figure-Pattern Feather and off- color characters, etc. It also integrates the skills and techniques of the Lingnan School of Chinese Painting such as Zhui Fen (falling powder), double hook, grass and insect painting etc, absorbing the western painting techniques from the oil painting and ink drawing. What’s more, it forms the following painting style: light all over the ground (man dikaiguang), flower heart with brocade border (jin bian hua xin), the connected type (tong lian shi), fully covering up style (man mian shi). Zhijin, the unique technique of Cantonese Ceramics, uses milk gold as ground color in order to foil the painted designs. Therefore, it is also known as gold-woven ground. On the white porcelain body which is as crystal as jade, the gold color appears more resplendent and magnificent and will never fade. Firing is the key of the Cantonese Ceramics production. Because the chosen paint is blended with water and the coloring course is carried out a layer above a layer, the improper fire temperature will lead to the change of the color.

The firing technique of Guangzhou decorative porcelain, which combines Guang Ceramics and Jingde Porcelain, melts all the following: traditional porcelain art painting in northern China and Lingnan School of painting techniques, Chinese decorative porcelain techniques and western porcelain and painting techniques. The integration of north and south China, of both the East and the West makes Guang Ceramics unique. Its technical feature of “piles of gold and jade” endows it distinctiveness. Guang Ceramics contains a rich cultural connotation and a high value of science and technology.(https://www.daowen.com)

The firing technique of Guangzhou decorative porcelain mainly distributes in Dongshan, Liwan, Haizhu and Panyu District in City of Guangzhou. It also spreads in Hong Kong and Macao. However, the low price of “stamped staple goods” with poor quality brings the impact to Guang Ceramics. Because of the relatively high price and the absence of corresponding supportive policy, the fine handworks of Guang Ceramics have been at the disadvantage in the market competition and even in danger. The poor condition has also led to sharp reduction of practitioners and left no successor in the art heritage. There is an urgent need to take effective measures to protect the firing technique of Guangzhou decorative porcelain.

In 2008, Firing Technique of Guangzhou Decorative Porcelain was enlisted into the list of the second batch of state-level intangible cultural heritage.