Local treasures take to the international stage

The Hunan Culture Expo that will be held in Paris will give French audiences the opportunity to see the best of the province's porcelain wares.

Porcelain products from Hunan have been among the most widely appreciated of all Chinese porcelain wares that have achieved recognition in the West.

And Liling, a city that has been producing pottery and ceramic works for more than 2,000 years, is a key representative of Hunan's porcelain industry.

On behalf of the province, the city will mainly exhibit locally produced underglazed five-color porcelain wares in Paris.

The underglazed five-color technique was developed in the early 20th century by Liling's porcelain producers. The special porcelain wares required three kiln firings so that colored decorations can be applied under the glaze.

Liling-made underglazed five-color porcelain wares have won a number of international and national awards in the last century.

In 1915, the products was awarded the gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, US.

According to a local saying, the special porcelain items are "white as jade, thin as paper and bright as a mirror", and they have proved extremely popular with discerning buyers worldwide.

The items being exhibited in Paris this month represent the zenith of the new generation of underglazed five-color wares, and feature underglazed decorations displaying more patterns and images.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page17)