Chinese Ceramics (Part I) - Art Treasures from Nature

Part I: Chinese Ceramics: Important Symbol of Human Civilization

The origin of ceramics is an important symbol of human civilization, it is also the first time human take advantage of nature and a brand new thing created by human in accordance with their own wishes. As early as more than one thousand years ago, our ancestors had already grasped the technology of making ceramics.

As the birthplace of the ceramics industry, China enjoys the reputation as a "porcelain country" in the world. As Jingdezhen even known as a famous porcelain city in the world, its porcelain techniques has reached the most peak height, the world rating its ceramics "white as jade, thin as paper, sound as chime, bright as mirror".

Not only Jingdezhen known as the ‘porcelain city’ of China, it is also the world's ‘porcelain city’. Word "China" in English, the pronunciation is just origins from its name of Jingdezhen in history as "Chang South."

Before the 18th century, Europe was still not capable of making porcelain. So at that time,  Chinese porcelain, especially fine porcelain manufactured by Chang South town are popular in Europe widely, even the royal family will proud with getting to a piece of Chang South porcelain ware. Since then, porcelain got the name as "China" went around in Europe.

During the Song Dynasty, Emperor Song Zhenzong changed the Chang South county into "Jingdezhen". Since then, Jingdezhen become a world-class porcelain city with the longest firing history, the largest scale and the most sophisticated technology in the world.

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* Original archive: Chinese Ceramics (Part I) - Art Treasures from Nature

China Fine Bamboo Carving Art

Bamboo carving, also known as bamboo sculpture, as described by Zhao Ruzhen in the "Antiques Guide - Bamboo Carvings": "bamboo carving is carvings on bamboos, the artworks are same as paintings and calligraphy, just to use knife to replace brushes, and use bamboo to replace papers", this summary is concise and comprehensive, and quite finespun and exquisite.

China Fine Bamboo Carving - Sisters

China is the first country in the world that began to use bamboo products, so in China bamboo carving is also has a long history. Carved a variety of decorative patterns and words on bamboo utensils, or carved bamboo roots into a variety of ornaments and furnishings.

Bamboo carving become a form of art since the Six Dynasties, and accepted and loved slowly by mass people until the Tang Dynasty. When bamboo carving developed to the prosperous times in the Ming and Qing dynasty, the exquisite techniques of bamboo carving had exceeded to previous generations, and bamboo carving become a unique and attractive art form in the history of Chinese arts and crafts.

China Fine Bamboo Carving - Worship the Heaven

In earlier times, bamboo carvings were usually palaces, figures, landscapes, birds and flowers and so on decorations carved on utensils, and bamboo carving artworks survived in the world are very rarely, mostly are artworks created in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Bamboo carving products in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the exquisite carving skills has gone beyond the previous generation for a long time. Most of bamboo carvings created in the Ming dynasty is simple and vigorous, full composed and deep carved, as well as have powerful lines, usually the carved patterns will coved the whole body of utensil.

China Fine Bamboo Carving - Back Home

While bamboo carvings created in the Qing dynasty were descended from the art style of the Ming dynasty, but has more rich and varied performance ways, carving techniques as relief carving and bas-relief are used simultaneous.

Some bamboo sculptures and carvings are carved concisely, simple and generous, and some delicate and exquisite, some have dense and rich patterns, and ever-changing. The main carving methods of bamboo carving there are shade lines, positive carving, round carving, engraved carving, deep and shadow relief or high relief and so on.

* Originally archive: China Fine Bamboo Carving Art