Molding the future of an ancient craft
2 years ago

Molding the future of an ancient craft

China Daily  

Liu Kunting sculpts clay figurines at his workshop in Changsha, Hunan province. Craftsman adopts a new approach to ensure that the Tongguan porcelain firing technique prevails, report Yang Feiyue and Zhu Youfang in Changsha. Not everyone can do much with a ball of clay, but in Liu Kunting's magic hands it can turn into vivid porcelain figurines, pots and other items of artistic value. In Liu's pottery workshop, which is tucked away in a small alley in Tongguan subdistrict of Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan province, visitors can see countless exquisite porcelain items depicting a variety of subjects, from carefree village children and demure country lasses to gray-haired farmers. Dedicating more than five decades to refining his clay-molding feats, the 59-year-old has become a national inheritor of the Tongguan porcelain firing technique that was named a national intangible heritage by the State Council in 2011.

Liu Changsha Tongguan  firing  items  ancient  craft  future  molding  porcelain  technique  tongguan  liu  national  figurines  hunan  workshop

History of this topic

Tai'an craftsman celebrates Year of the Dragon with clay
10 months ago

Tai'an craftsman celebrates Year of the Dragon with clay

China Daily  

At the foot of Mount Tai in Tai'an, Xuan Xudong, the fifth-generation inheritor of Mount Tai clay sculpting, makes dragon clay sculptures, doing his part to preserve the vibrant millennium-old dragon culture. Mount Tai clay sculpting dates back to the Tang Dynasty. He said that the core techniques of Mount Tai clay sculpting include clay collection, shaping, and carving. The …

Porcelain carver taps out image of soccer star
2 years ago

Porcelain carver taps out image of soccer star

China Daily  

With a hammer, Liu Jinduo, a porcelain carver in Hunan province, recently completed a lifelike portrait of Lionel Messi on a granite slab in Changsha. It took Liu, an inheritor of porcelain carving, two days to complete the portrait as the 2022 FIFA World Cup came to an end in Qatar. “Porcelain carving requires great patience and utmost care,” Liu …

Porcelain carver taps out image of soccer star
2 years ago

Porcelain carver taps out image of soccer star

China Daily  

With a hammer, Liu Jinduo, a porcelain carver in Hunan province, recently completed a lifelike portrait of Lionel Messi on a granite slab in Changsha. It took Liu, an inheritor of porcelain carving, two days to complete the portrait as the 2022 FIFA World Cup came to an end in Qatar. “Porcelain carving requires great patience and utmost care,” Liu …

Molding the future of an ancient craft
2 years ago

Molding the future of an ancient craft

China Daily  

A porcelain bowl featuring a Tang poem. "Selecting good clay is a prerequisite for good porcelain, and the different quality unearthed in different places can easily lead to problems in material proportioning," Liu says. They can be subject to weather, wind direction and many other factors, all of which require long-term experience in order to make the correct judgment, Liu …

Molding the future of an ancient craft
2 years ago

Molding the future of an ancient craft

China Daily  

A Tongguan kiln porcelain plate featuring a poem. "I hope to promote the transformation of Tongguan kiln ceramics from collectors' items to more practical usage," he says. The idea is to have Tongguan kiln ceramics mix better into people's lives. To date, about 10,000 primary and middle school students have visited his studio to get a handson experience of Tongguan …

Molding the future of an ancient craft
2 years ago

Molding the future of an ancient craft

China Daily  

Liu Kunting sculpts clay figurines at his workshop in Changsha, Hunan province. Craftsman adopts a new approach to ensure that the Tongguan porcelain firing technique prevails, report Yang Feiyue and Zhu Youfang in Changsha. Not everyone can do much with a ball of clay, but in Liu Kunting's magic hands it can turn into vivid porcelain figurines, pots and other …

Tai'an artist brings Ningyang Wu family's clay sculptures back to life
2 years, 6 months ago

Tai'an artist brings Ningyang Wu family's clay sculptures back to life

China Daily  

One of Wu Xiguang's clay sculpture artworks showcases local folk's daily lives by shaping extremely exaggerated body shape and facial expressions. Wu Xiguang produced innovations based on earlier clay sculpture craftsman's experiences to give the Ningyang Wu family's clay sculptures greater local features and ornamental value. Wu's clay sculpture artworks are good at exhibiting numerous living forms in Ningyang and …

Tai'an artist brings Ningyang Wu family's clay sculptures back to life
2 years, 6 months ago

Tai'an artist brings Ningyang Wu family's clay sculptures back to life

China Daily  

One of Wu Xiguang's clay sculpture artworks showcases local folk's daily lives by shaping extremely exaggerated body shape and facial expressions. Wu Xiguang produced innovations based on earlier clay sculpture craftsman's experiences to give the Ningyang Wu family's clay sculptures greater local features and ornamental value. Wu's clay sculpture artworks are good at exhibiting numerous living forms in Ningyang and …

​From chef to craftsman, sculpturing continues
2 years, 8 months ago

​From chef to craftsman, sculpturing continues

China Daily  

Wang Lingtao creates a clay sculpture. These clay sculptures were created by Wang Lingtao, a 44-year-old craftsman from Jinan, Shandong province. A close-up of the clay sculptures created by Wang Lingtao Wang produced unique clay sculpture techniques and expressions showcasing Jinan culture by digging into folk culture and craft methods with significant regional intangible cultural heritages. With Wang's efforts, the …

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