NEWS
Mei Shican
Mei Shican
The secretary of the CPC party committee of Jingdezhen Ceramic University
In the Immortal Cave of Wannian County, Jiangxi Province, archaeologist discovered the oldest pottery shards in Southeast Asia, which was produced nearly 20,000 years ago; in Xiaoxiantan of Shangyu County, Zhejiang Province, archaeologists discovered the earliest mature porcelain in the world, which was fired in the mid-Eastern Han Dynasty. Thus, China is worthy of the title “The Motherland of Ceramics.” It is possible that the world knows China fist through Chinese ceramics. As early as 1600 years ago, Chinese ceramics, tea and silk emerged as the three most representative Chinese commodities known for their technological and artistic achievements. Spread along the Silk Road, these commodities exerted wide and far-reaching influence throughout the world. Ceramics has always been a beautiful business card for promoting Chinese culture’s outreach: the telling of the Chinese story to the world, the display of China’s image, and the extension Chinese culture.
Jingdezhen Ceramics University (JCU) is the only multidisciplinary institution of higher education in the world with “ceramics” as its name and main axis of research and curriculum which covers bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programs. Since its predecessor China Ceramic School was founded in the late Qing Dynasty, it has been keeping its original mission to promote Chinese ceramic culture and convey Chinese excellent traditional culture, although the university moved its location four times and changed its name nine times. Since the 1980s, the University has consciously integrated and led the torrent of modern ceramic art development, gathering and cultivating a large number of ceramic artists. They have inherited and developed the forms of ceramic art such as Modern Folk Blue and White, Comprehensive Ceramic Decoration, Modern Porcelain Painting Art, Imagist Sculpture, Environmental Ceramic Art, “Zi”Ceramic Art (a ceramic art of premedivel scripts or pictures), etc., by inheriting traditional ceramic skills, absorbing the essence of Chinese traditional culture and Western aesthetics and innovating materials, techniques, and decoration. They have made great contribution to the development of Chinese modern ceramic art and added wonderful colors to the field. For this, famous scholars once hailed these achievements as the “ Taoyuan (JCU) Phenomenon”; but today, in view of the flourishing atmosphere of Jingdezhen Ceramic University in many aspects, I am more willing to call it “JCU Charm”. Over the past years, JCU has held high-level teachers and students’ ceramic art exhibitions in important places such as the Louvre, the Asian Museum of Greece,the Grand Palais of France and the United Nations Headquarters, which has greatly promoted Chinese ceramic culture and art in the world.
As China enters the historical era of the “Two Centenary” goals, we shall thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s ardent entrust to “build well the Jingdezhen National Ceramic Culture Inheritance and Innovation Pilot Zone, and create new platforms for international cultural exchanges”. It is of great significance for creating a new path of inheriting and innovating the excellent cultural heritage with world significance, Chinese values, features of the new era, and characteristics of Jingdezhen, telling the Chinese story through ceramic culture, strengthening our confidence of the Chinese national culture, contributing to the development and prosperity of world ceramic art and constructing a community with a shared future for mankind.
Thanks to the joint efforts of the Jingdezhen Municipal Party Committee, The People’s Government of Jingdezhen Municipality, and Jingdezhen Ceramic University, and with the strong supports of China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd. and International Academy of Ceramics, the high-end academic brand of “Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale”has come into being.This Beinnale was first proposed by Professor Lyv Pinchang, a well-known sculptor. Under his leadership, a good many professionals have been working day and night to prepare for the Beiennale throughout the year. The first biennale, The Spirit of Ceramics: Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale, will be launched soon. This is not only a powerful measure to accelerate the construction of Jingdezhen National Ceramic Culture Inheritance and Innovation Pilot Zone, but also our mission to let the world hear, see, and grasp the responsibility of Jingdezhen City, the one-year-old porcelain capital, and Jingdezhen Ceramic University, the 110-year-old university, to promote the prosperity and development of modern ceramic art.
On the occasion of The Spirit of Ceramics: 2021 Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale, I have composed a poem of seven-Chinese characters and eight-line regulated verse to congratulate its opening:
What is, indeed, the Spirit of Ceramics for?
Not seen eye to eye, yet distant from the arms of war.
Youthful children knead clay in pleasure,
The old and strong pulls pots with calm composure.
Exquisite works, ingenious ideas answer where the spirit lies,
On which high-brow judges rest their eyes.
Two years round and the whole earth meets,
Campus and city of one heart, turn poetic feats.
2021年10月
