Chinese people have a long-standing obsession and fascination with certain colors. One is the “sky-blue color waiting for rain” of the Ruyao “qing,” while the “qing” of Longquan celadon is another.
The green mountains yield celadon from Longquan, and over two thousand years ago, the people of Zhejiang's Longquan began writing the legendary history of creating celadons.
Whether it is the layered green glaze colors, the interwoven textures of the porcelain shards, or the rounded and unique shapes, Longquan celadon always precisely stirs the Chinese sense of “beauty.”
The Ceramic authority Chen Wanli once said: “Half of China's ceramic history lies in Zhejiang; half of Zhejiang's ceramic history lies in Longquan.”
The production of Longquan porcelain has a long history. It is the capital of celadon and swords, a national historical and cultural city, and a national advanced city in culture.
Longquan got its name from a sword. During the Spring and Autumn period, Ouyezi cast three swords in Longquan, naming one “Longyuan,” which became the place name. Later, to avoid offending the Tang Dynasty's founder, Li Yuan, it was changed to Longquan.
During the Three Kingdoms and Jin periods, local residents relied on natural conditions to fire celadon. At this stage, the celadon was still rudimentary, with rough craftsmanship and small scale.
By the Five Dynasties and Northern Song periods, due to issues of peace among states, the celadon produced by the Yue kilns could no longer meet demand. In this context, Longquan celadon was born.
The Longquan kiln system represents the southern celadon tradition. It started during the Three Kingdoms and Jin periods, declined during the Qing Dynasty, and had a production history of more than 1,600 years, making it the longest continuous ceramic production site in China.
Based on the experiences of the Yue, Wu, and Ou kilns, Longquan celadon reached its peak in porcelain-making history during the Song Dynasty due to its characteristics of “as green as jade, as clear as a mirror, and with sounds like chimes.”
From the Song Dynasty onwards, Longquan celadon played a leading role in opening up the long maritime “Ceramic Road,” making Longquan a “national export base” and an important starting point for the “Maritime Silk Road.”
The appearance of Longquan celadon is characterized by elegance and purity, with a splendid range of colors.
It is divided into “Ge Kiln” and “Di Kiln.” The Ge Kiln celadon has a full and rich glaze layer and a clear and elegant gray-green color. Di Kiln celadon is known for its crystal-clear and lustrous green glaze.
With its “clear like autumn sky, tranquil like deep sea” Ge and Di Kiln porcelains, Longquan enjoys a worldwide reputation. Longquan's “Ge Kiln” is listed alongside the famous official, Ru, Ding, and Jun kilns as one of the five great kilns of the Song Dynasty.
Di Kiln is traditionally considered Longquan celadon, and since the beginning of celadon production, only Di Kiln pieces were made.
The Ge Kiln is characterized by thin bodies with thick glazes and crackle patterns that cover the surface, referred to as the “gem of ceramics”; Di Kiln features thick bodies with a green glaze, a pure surface, and is called the “Flower of celadon.”
The difference between Ge and Di Kiln porcelains lies in that Ge Kiln is a cracked-glaze porcelain, while Di Kiln is not.
The Ge Kiln celadon develops cracks on its surface during firing because the body expands more than the glaze. These cracks, originally defects, create a beauty of imperfection with the “gold-thread iron-line” effect.
The production environment of the Longquan kilns at the time was quite good, with most workshops located on hill slopes, convenient for porcelain-making.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, the scale of the Longquan kilns expanded significantly, and the technical level of porcelain-making improved, resulting in higher quality products.
In 2009, the firing techniques of Longquan celadon were included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, becoming the first and only ceramic project globally to be inscribed on the World Intangible Heritage List.
Looking back, Longquan celadon, with a thousand-year legacy, has experienced ups and downs along with historical changes.
The past 60 years of cultural development in New China are also the 60 years of rebirth for Longquan celadon.
In modern Longquan celadon history, Xu Chaoxing's name is deeply imprinted in its development. He is officially recognized as an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Longquan celadon and a master and authority in his field, a figure revered as a “grandmaster” in the Longquan celadon community.
In 1956, after completing primary school, Xu Chaoxing's education was interrupted due to his family background. At the age of 13, he began apprenticing under the famous Longquan celadon artisan Li Huide.
The kiln at the time was a primitive workshop, producing ordinary porcelain, with facilities similar to those of a common brickyard. In the workshop, kneading clay bowls, shaping clay pieces, and working with mud covered his feet, hands, face, and head. Xu Chaoxing was not afraid of hardship or tiredness, and within less than two years, he mastered the basic skills of making ordinary ceramics.
In 1958, the kiln transitioned to producing Longquan celadon. To revive Longquan celadon, the Longquan Porcelain Factory selected eight individuals from provincial experts, excellent workers, and folk artisans to form a group dedicated to restoration and imitation. Xu Chaoxing and his master Li Huide were both selected for this group. After countless failures, they finally succeeded just before National Day in 1959.
The successful research and development of the Di Kiln products greatly boosted Xu Chaoxing's confidence. He boldly innovated, attempting to combine new product design with scientific and artistic techniques, creating the first work of art—the Delicate Lamp.
One of Xu Chaoxing's amazing skills is not only creation but also his perfect “jumping knife” technique in production: carving tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of wave lines or marks on a thin body, making the fired porcelain possess an incredible beauty of texture, which can be considered a great miracle in the Longquan celadon world.
The celadon made by Xu Chaoxing using the jumping knife technique lacks the stiffness of machine pressing, filled instead with suppleness and the beauty of handcraftsmanship.
To date, Longquan celadon is the best restored among the five historical famous kilns of ancient China, with its number of practitioners reaching a historical peak due to social progress.
Celadon craftsmanship needs development, but it also requires inheritance. Xu Chaoxing's wife, son, and daughter-in-law continue the journey of craftsmanship in the celadon industry.
Xu Ling, his son, and his daughter-in-law Zhu Naya have already made their mark in the ceramics world. Their works, “Siblings Affection,” “Spring in Jiangnan,” “Plum Green,” and the “Autumn Charm Series,” have won gold and Silver awards at national ceramic design competitions, Shanghai Arts and Crafts Exhibitions, and the Hangzhou West Lake