Lu Qunshan
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Lu Qunshan, Male, Han, from Jieshou, Anhui, is a first-batch national representative bearer of Jieshou Caitao Firing Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-2). The tradition is documented in Jieshou, Anhui. Within the regional tradition and school record of Jieshou Caitao Firing Craftsmanship in Jieshou, Anhui: Jieshou painted pottery inherits the legacy of Tang sancai (three-color ware) while absorbing the artistic styles of paper-cutting and woodblock New Year prints, forming its own school within pottery craft. Historically, the Jieshou painted-pottery craft was mainly distributed across thirteen villages on the south bank of the Ying River in Jieshou City, Anhui Province. Because the inhabitants of every village made their living from pottery, and each village name contained the word "pottery kiln" (Taoyao), there came to be the saying of the "Thirteen Kilns"; these villages are now under the jurisdiction of Tianying Town, Jieshou City, Anhui Province. The Jieshou painted-pottery firing craft originated in the Tang dynasty and is the quintessence of Huaibei handicraft. In 1999, the excavation of the Liuzi Canal in Huaibei unearthed a large quantity of Jieshou sancai (three-color) pottery shards, which became one of the nation's top ten archaeological discoveries of that year.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
Lu Qunshan, a male of Han ethnicity, was born in 1950 in Jieshou, Anhui. He is a national representative bearer of Jieshou Caitao Firing Craftsmanship, a first-batch national intangible cultural heritage project, and a master of folk arts and crafts of Anhui Province. The Lu family's Jieshou caitao firing craftsmanship was handed down through the generations, and Lu Qunshan learned to make painted pottery from his father from an early age. Building on the traditional foundation, he made new experiments in and adjustments to the firing process. In pursuit of an even more outstanding artistic effect, he began studying painting in 1963 under the renowned painter Han Meilin. Lu Qunshan places great emphasis on the lines and contours of his works, which possess a beauty of harmony, balance and serenity. The decorative patterns of many of his works are drawn from folk opera, and he depicts scenes from historical dramas in them one after another, giving the works strong artistic appeal and ornamental value. The form, decoration and firing craftsmanship of his carved "Daoma Ren" (opera warrior figures) painted pottery jars have won unanimous praise from experts. Over the years, his painted pottery works have won numerous national and provincial awards and have been collected by institutions such as the National Museum of China. His major representative works include the "Daoma Ren" three-color underglaze carved jars and pots, four-sided jade vases and gourd bottles. Within the documented technical tradition of Jieshou Caitao Firing Craftsmanship in Jieshou, Anhui: In making the body surface, Jieshou painted pottery is coated with two layers of slip; in the carving process it displays two basic contrasting color schemes—ochre-and-yellow or ochre-and-white. In its carved subject matter, besides taking flowers, birds, fish, and insects from daily life as creative motifs, it also draws heavily on the artistic elements of traditional opera, presenting them as a series of scene-like tableaux—Lu Shanyi's "soldiers-on-horseback" (Daoma Ren) series being representative. In firing, the craft first removes moisture, then bisque-fires at generally 700–800°C, yielding brick-red carved pottery; after bisque-firing it may be glaze-fired—coated with a glaze of lead, silica, and clay powder, placed in a clay sagger, with the temperature gradually raised to 1000–1050°C and fired for two days and two nights, yielding the finished Jieshou painted pottery of red ground with white designs. Jieshou painted pottery embodies the honest and simple character of farmers and an aesthetic taste of "great clumsiness yielding great skill," reflecting the Chinese folk art's inclination toward nature and harmony. In 1958, Jieshou established the Jiyi Ceramic Factory on Shunhe Road on the north bank of the Ying River; it is now the main production site of painted pottery, where the Jieshou painted-pottery firing craft is carried on. However, in recent years, under the impact of modern industrial products, painted pottery made by traditional craft has seen sluggish sales and a depressed market, and young people are mostly unwilling to take up apprenticeship; thus the Jieshou painted-pottery firing craft faces the worry of having no successors, and it is necessary to protect it. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Two layers of slip on the body": Two layers of slip are laid over the raw body to create ochre-yellow or ochre-white contrasts; the incisions cut through the upper layer to reveal the lower one. "Carving the daomaren stage figures": Beside flowers, birds and insects, many subjects are lifted from opera: mounted warriors in confrontation, the so-called daomaren series, the most demanding carving subject. "The bisque firing": After carving, the piece is dried and bisqued at 700-800 degrees to a brick red, which removes residual moisture and fixes the loose dust in the cut lines. "Glaze firing in saggars": Coated with a lead and silica glaze, the pots are set in clay saggars and brought slowly to 1000-1050 degrees over two days and nights, yielding red-ground white-flower ware.
Two layers of slip on the body
Two layers of slip are laid over the raw body to create ochre-yellow or ochre-white contrasts; the incisions cut through the upper layer to reveal the lower one.
Carving the daomaren stage figures
Beside flowers, birds and insects, many subjects are lifted from opera: mounted warriors in confrontation, the so-called daomaren series, the most demanding carving subject.
The bisque firing
After carving, the piece is dried and bisqued at 700-800 degrees to a brick red, which removes residual moisture and fixes the loose dust in the cut lines.
Glaze firing in saggars
Coated with a lead and silica glaze, the pots are set in clay saggars and brought slowly to 1000-1050 degrees over two days and nights, yielding red-ground white-flower ware.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2007, Lu Qunshan was announced in the first batch of national representative bearers for Jieshou Caitao Firing Craftsmanship, with Jieshou, Anhui as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Jieshou Caitao Firing Craftsmanship in Jieshou, Anhui: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Jieshou, Anhui as its declared area, and Jieshou Cultural Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
The Jieshou painted-pottery firing craft originated in the Tang dynasty and is the quintessence of Huaibei handicraft. In 1999, the excavation of the Liuzi Canal in Huaibei unearthed a large quantity of Jieshou sancai (three-color) pottery shards, which became one of the nation's top ten archaeological discoveries of that year.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wang Jingsheng | Jieshou, Anhui | 01-0121 | Same declared area |
| Lu Qunshan | Jieshou, Anhui | 01-0122 | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。