Bayiyaohonglvcaici Firing Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
The Bayi kiln belongs to the Cizhou kiln line. The Cizhou kiln was already renowned in the Song dynasty for its incised (tihua) and black-patterned wares, and later craftsmen continued to make fresh gains along that path: the Bayi kiln moved the timing of colour application from under the glaze to over it, and expanded the colour material from a single colour to two, red and green, establishing the system of separate firings for the body and the colour and thus opening a new path for later coloured porcelain. This craft was once lost in the Changzhi area, and in modern times, through archaeological excavation and craft restoration, the body-glaze proportions and the painting methods became known to the world again.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Bayi kiln red-and-green coloured porcelain making craft is an overglaze decoration firing craft with red and green as the main tones, innovated by the Cizhou kiln system after such decorative techniques as incised (tihua) and black-on-white wares. The craft is mainly transmitted between the villages of Bayi and Dongshan in Shangdang District, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province; the area has continuous mountain ridges and criss-crossing ravines, and is exceptionally rich in the high-quality kaolin (white gan clay), coal, water and other resources necessary for firing porcelain. In late spring, summer and early winter each year the temperature is between 20 and 36°C, suitable for drying ceramic bodies — it allows the body to release its moisture fully without causing cracks — providing uniquely favourable natural conditions for the emergence and development of the Bayi kiln red-and-green coloured porcelain firing craft. The Bayi kiln red-and-green coloured porcelain making craft is fairly complex. First, a layer of white slip is applied to the porcelain body, then a layer of transparent glaze, and then it is put into the kiln to fire a white-glazed porcelain; after it comes out of the kiln and dries naturally in the air, a brush is dipped in red, green and yellow colours to paint patterns on the glaze surface; then it is put into the kiln a second time and baked at a low temperature of about 800°C, so that the colour material and the porcelain glaze slowly sinter and bright red and green colours appear on the white glaze. The painted subjects of Bayi kiln red-and-green coloured porcelain are rich, mainly flowers, fish and birds, characters and figures, and the most distinctive are cartouche-framed (kaiguang) character designs. On vessels such as plates and bowls, border-line decoration is mostly used. The painted decoration on red-and-green coloured figurines is mainly red with green as a supplement; the colours are bright and vivid, and the painting is simple, bold, free and lively, showing a strong folk flavour. The Bayi red-and-green coloured porcelain making craft has high achievements in artistic level, forming techniques and firing standards; in particular, the separate firing of body and colour opened the way for applying colour painting to vessels, enriched the history of Chinese ceramics, and has craft-research value and historical-cultural value that cannot be ignored.
Applying the white slip and clear glaze
The shaped body receives a layer of white slip and then a clear glaze before the first firing, which both hides the grey body and provides a bright ground for the red and green to come.
Painting red, green and yellow over the glaze
Only after the white-glazed ware has cooled and dried naturally are red, green and yellow pigments brushed onto the glaze; the colour lies on the surface and must be fixed by a second firing.
Low-temperature colour fixing
The painted piece is fired a second time at around 800 degrees Celsius — hotter and the colours melt and blur, cooler and they stay dull — so that pigment and glaze slowly fuse and the reds and greens appear bright on the white ground.
Reserve panels and border decoration
Subjects include flowers, birds, characters and figures, the most characteristic being reserve panels where a blank field is left for writing or painting and framed by lines; bowls and dishes are more often finished with border lines on the rim and foot.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Bayi kiln red-and-green coloured porcelain making craft is mainly transmitted between the villages of Bayi and Dongshan in Shangdang District, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province. Here the mountain ridges are continuous and the ravines criss-cross; the kaolin (white gan clay), coal and water needed for porcelain making are all available, and in late spring, summer and early winter the temperature is between 20 and 36°C, so that the body dries neither retaining water nor cracking; the craftsmen accordingly arrange the colour painting and the firing according to these seasonal conditions. There are nearly a hundred local inheritors, each fulfilling their own duties in restoring ancient pieces, developing new products, perfecting the craft and standardising the process.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present this craft already has nearly a hundred inheritors, who play a backbone role in restoring ancient pieces, developing new products, perfecting the craft and standardising the process.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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