Lushan Yao Firing Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
According to historical sources such as the Ming-dynasty Henan Yitongzhi (Comprehensive Gazetteer of Henan), the Qing-dynasty Tao Shuo (On Ceramics), and the modern work Chinese Ceramics, the Lushan flower-ware firing technique was first created in the early Tang dynasty; in the mid-Tang period the scale of production expanded, and ceramics of many kinds were produced, including black-glazed wares, white-ground wares with black floral decoration, and sancai (three-color) wares. Lushan flower ware is one of the important early representatives of high-temperature kiln-transmutation glazed porcelain in China. As early as the Tang dynasty it adopted the new technique of liquid-liquid phase-separated glazes, opening a new realm for the embellishment and decoration of the black-glazed ceramic family and occupying an important place in the history of Chinese ceramic development.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Lushan flower-ware firing technique is one of China's earlier kiln-transmutation glazed ceramic firing techniques; it is distributed mainly in Duandian, Baixiangdian, and Taohuadian in Lushan County, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province, and in the surrounding Jiaxian County and Xinhua District. Lushan County lies at the eastern foot of the Funiu Mountains and has a warm-temperate, semi-humid climate with four distinct seasons. It abounds in ceramic raw materials such as coal, iron, gypsum, feldspar, quartz, calcite, agate, horse-bone stone, clay, and black lead; these are of high quality and easy to mine, providing exceptional conditions for the emergence and development of the Lushan flower-ware firing technique. The Lushan flower-ware firing technique uses phase-separated glaze technology to fire porcelain that combines black, white, and blue glazes in a single vessel, changing the situation in which Tang-dynasty ceramics were limited to the single glaze colors of celadon, white, and black, and laying the technical foundation for the later development of Jun ware and of opalescent-glazed ceramics. The Lushan flower-ware firing technique mainly comprises the following process steps. First, local ceramic raw materials are weathered and aged, made into slip, and then filtered to prepare the body material. The craftsman then repeatedly pushes, rolls, presses, and kneads the clay by hand with force to expel the air in the clay, thereby increasing its density and plasticity. The kneaded clay mass is then placed on a potter's wheel, and the craftsman, with hands dipped in water, pulls out the rough shape of the desired vessel form. Next, according to the shape and size required for the body, different knives are used to cut away the surplus part of the body and fix its form. The dried body is then placed in the kiln and fired at about 900 degrees Celsius into a bisqued body. The base glaze is then applied by the dipping method and the pouring method respectively, while the mottled glaze is decorated by brushing, dotting, flicking, and pouring. Finally, using coal and firewood as fuel, the ware is fired for about 18 hours at 1,270 to 1,300 degrees Celsius in an oxidizing atmosphere, and is brought to maturity through the five stages of low temperature, fierce fire, high temperature, clearing fire, and cooling, ultimately producing a finished Lushan flower ware of brilliant and richly varied color. During the Song and Jin periods the technique developed to its peak; the selection of raw materials, the firing process, and product quality all improved greatly over earlier periods, the shapes became more refined, and the varieties grew steadily richer, making the area the ceramic-producing center of the north at that time. Thereafter, firing continued among the common people.
Archival Records of Process Steps
The Lushan flower-ware firing technique mainly comprises the following process steps: first, local ceramic raw materials are weathered and aged, made into slip, and then filtered to prepare the body material.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The body material is made from locally produced porcelain clays of differing viscosity and heat resistance (soft clay, neutral clay, and hard clay); these are crushed, then washed and thickened in a washing tank to make clay lumps for later use.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present, the Lushan flower-ware firing technique has a clearly documented lineage of transmission reaching six generations; it is transmitted mainly by the master-apprentice method, and, relying on specialized higher education and intangible cultural heritage transmission bases, it continuously broadens its transmission channels and intensifies the training of successor talent. It is the crystallization of the wisdom and creativity of ceramic craftsmen through the ages and a vivid vehicle of Lushan folk culture, possessing high historical, cultural, and artistic value.
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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