Zhong Liansheng

01 · Lineage & Regional School

In 1978 he entered the Beijing Enamel Factory to learn the craft, studying design, wire inlay and enamel filling and other principal processes under Qian Meihua, Yu Zhaogui and Liu Yucai. He is now chief arts and crafts master of Beijing Enamel Factory Co., Ltd. and has directed the design and supervision of a number of major fine-art projects. Within the regional tradition and school record of Cloisonné Enamel Craftsmanship in Chongwen, Beijing: The transmission of the Beijing Jingtailan technique is concentrated in the enamel factories and private workshops of the Chongwen District area of Beijing; by Ming and Qing times it had already spread from the court into the wider society. In modern times, amid social turmoil, the production of Beijing Jingtailan suffered setbacks, but recovered again after the reform and opening-up period; today the "shop in front, workshop behind" model still survives, with veteran artists' studios operating alongside factory orders. Beijing Enamel Factory Co., Ltd. is the project's protecting institution. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Imperial Superintendency (yuyongjian) and the Imperial Workshops (zaobanchu) both maintained enamel workshops in Beijing dedicated to serving the imperial court, and the craft advanced from maturity to splendor. After 1949, thanks to the state's active protection and support policies, this ancient craft was rapidly restored and developed.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

Male, Manchu ethnicity, born in February 1962 in Beijing. A national representative bearer of the Cloisonné Enamel Craftsmanship, a fourth-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. He excels at rediscovering traditional motifs; his works are simple and abstract, with a pronounced modern feel. He has long worked to broaden the applications of the craft and has achieved breakthroughs in production processes, innovative research and decorative effects. Representative works include He Meng (Lotus Dream), Beijing Fengqing (Scenes of Beijing), Fu Lu Wandai (Fortune and Emolument for Ten Thousand Generations) and Ju Bao Pen (Bowl of Treasures). His apprentices include Fu Zhihua, Zuo Hong, Zeng Jie and Huang Xin. Within the documented technical tradition of Cloisonné Enamel Craftsmanship in Chongwen, Beijing: The Beijing Jingtailan technique is also known as "copper-body cloisonné enamel" (tongtai qiasi falang); because it reached maturity during the Jintai reign era of the Ming dynasty, it came to be called "Jingtailan" (Jingtai blue). The technique uses copper as the body: thin copper wire is flattened by rolling and then shaped by hand into various patterns, which are pinched, soldered, and affixed to the body; enamel glazes are then applied, and the finished piece is produced through multiple process steps including firing, polishing, and gilding. The Jingtailan technique is the product of combining imported enamel technique with native metal-enamel craftsmanship. In modern times, amid social turmoil, the Beijing Jingtailan technique once fell into decline. The Beijing Jingtailan technique is complex and involves numerous process steps; it integrates bronze craftsmanship and enamel technique, inherits traditional painting and metal chasing (engraving) craftsmanship, and exemplifies the tradition of mutual learning and borrowing among Chinese craft categories. Under the impact of the market economy, owing to the unscrupulous practices of some practitioners, the artistic quality and technical level of Beijing Jingtailan have declined, large quantities of inferior products have flooded the market, and the effects have been damaging. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "": "Archival Record of Process Steps": The technique uses copper as the body: thin copper wire is flattened by rolling and then shaped by hand into various patterns, which are pinched, soldered, and affixed to the body; enamel glazes are then applied, and the finished piece is produced through multiple process steps including firing, polishing, and gilding.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

He is a Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts, a National Model Worker and a recipient of the National May 1st Labour Medal.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

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.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Zhong Liansheng · National Representative Bearer Archive