Zhao Changan

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Zhao Changan, Male, Han, from Mentougou, Beijing, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Colored Glass Firing Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-90). The tradition is documented in Mentougou, Beijing. Within the regional tradition and school record of Colored Glass Firing Craftsmanship in Mentougou, Beijing: Glazed ware production is widely distributed in Shanxi Province, mainly in Taiyuan, Yangcheng, Hejin, Jiexiu, and other places. Taiyuan began producing glazed ware around the Wanli era of the Ming dynasty, and production has continued uninterrupted ever since. The firing of glazed ware in Yangcheng began in the Yuan dynasty and reached its peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The firing of Hejin glazed ware also began in the Wanli era of the Ming dynasty, concentrated mainly in the Dong and Xi Yaotou villages west of the city; the Lü family was the local glazed ware dynasty. Jiexiu is an early area of glazed ware firing in Shanxi; glazed tiles were already used in local Tang-dynasty temple architecture, reached their greatest flourishing in the Ming dynasty, and left behind many historic sites. Beijing was the capital of five dynasties — Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing — and glazed ware can be seen in a great number of its palaces, gardens, tombs, pagodas, and temples. The firing of glazed ware in Beijing began in the Liao dynasty; Longquanwu Village in Longquan Town, Mentougou District, still has the ruins of a Liao-dynasty kiln site. In the early Yuan dynasty, the government established a glazed ware kiln at Liuliqu Village in Mentougou, known as the "official kiln" or the "Western Kiln." During the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty, the Mentougou official kiln entered a period of prosperity. The glazed ware firing craft of Liuliqu Village was introduced to Beijing by the Zhao family, a glazed ware dynasty from Yuci County, Shanxi Province. The kiln fired glazed ware according to the regulations of the Qing-dynasty Ministry of Works, regulations that have always been regarded as the standard official firing method.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Zhao Changan is anchored in the documented technical standards of Colored Glass Firing Craftsmanship in Mentougou, Beijing. Within the documented technical tradition of Colored Glass Firing Craftsmanship in Mentougou, Beijing: "Liuli" (glazed ware) is the common name for low-temperature lead-glazed pottery, a decorative material often used in buildings such as palaces, imperial tombs, monasteries, temples, and pagodas. Through long production practice, glazed ware has reached considerable heights in form and style, decorative style, and craft technique. Glazed architecture organically combines traditional Chinese ceramic culture with architectural culture, becoming a building form with strong ethnic characteristics and cultural depth. Locally, the Su family is the most famous for firing glazed ware. The firing site was initially at Dongguan in the county seat and was later moved to Houzeyao Village, where the Qiao family was the most famous. A single piece of glazed ware generally takes more than ten days and more than twenty process steps to complete firing. First, qianzi clay must be selected and put through crushing, screening, elutriation, and refining into shape; after drying, it is fired in the kiln to form the body, commonly known as "plain firing" (sushao). Then glaze colors are applied and it is fired in the kiln again, called "color firing" (caishao). Today, with the decline of traditional architectural forms, demand for glazed ware is gradually decreasing. Moreover, because firing glazed ware in coal kilns poses environmental problems, compounded by industrial contraction, loss of personnel, and the abandonment of craft skills, the traditional craft of glazed ware firing is on the verge of extinction and urgently needs attention from relevant parties. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The plain firing": Clay is crushed, sieved, washed and kneaded, shaped, dried and low-fired once so the body is solid; glaze waits for the second firing. "The glaze firing": Glazed bisque goes back into the kiln, where low-lead glaze fuses onto the body; over twenty stages take more than ten days. "The official kiln and the West kiln": An official kiln was set up at Liuliqu village in the early Yuan; the Qing workshop followed Ministry of Works specifications brought from Yuci in Shanxi. "The Liao kiln site at Longquanwu": A Liao-dynasty kiln site at Longquanwu village anchors the earliest Beijing liuli production.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Zhao Changan was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Colored Glass Firing Craftsmanship, with Mentougou, Beijing as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Colored Glass Firing Craftsmanship in Mentougou, Beijing: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Mentougou, Beijing as its declared area, and Beijing Mingzhuliulizhipin Co., Ltd. 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

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. Zhaochangan (Mentougou, Beijing) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Zhaochangan · China ICH Official Archive