Liling cashes in on its colorful past

Zhang Jiabing paints porcelain at the Liling New Century Porcelain Art Museum. Zhang is among the group of young people who have joined the porcelain industry in Liling, Hunan province.[Photo by Feng Zhiwei / China Daily]

If there is any rival to Jiangxi's Jingdezhen, which is known as the "porcelain capital" of China, it has to be Liling city, which has equally long history when it comes to making porcelain.

Liling, situated in eastern Hunan province, is sometimes referred to as a "state kiln" thanks to its reputation as a place where porcelain was made exclusively for the nation's top leaders including Chairman Mao Zedong, from the late 1950s to the 1980s.

Liling has thrived for many centuries on ceramics.

At the start of the 20th century, a Liling-based porcelain factory developed the multiple-color underglazing technique, which was deemed revolutionary and has since had a wide-reaching impact on the industry.

"The technique requires a very high firing temperature. The colors, protected by the glaze, will never change once the piece is finished," says Yi Longhua, curator of the Liling New Century Porcelain Art Museum.

Yi, 48, has been a porcelain painter for more than 20 years.

An exquisite porcelain vase made using this technique won a gold medal at the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition held in the United States.

In 2008, the technique used in Liling underglaze-colored porcelain was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

However, the technique was almost lost due to frequent wars in China during the 1930s, until it was revived thanks to the efforts of many experienced porcelain craftsmen gathered by the government in the 1950s, says Yi.

In the following decades, top grade underglaze-colored porcelain produced in Liling was delivered to Beijing for national leaders, state banquets, and as state gifts.

By 1975, Liling had made more than 1,500 porcelain pieces, including tableware, tea sets and ashtrays, for Chairman Mao. These pieces were referred to as "red porcelain".

Ding Huahan, 85, is one of the porcelain masters who has lived through the heyday of Liling porcelain.

Ding learned to make porcelain from his father at 13. He later became a porcelain designer. He was one of the main designers for porcelain pieces made for the Great Hall of the People, Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall and the National Military Museum in Beijing.

Ding was among the workers who were part the project to make porcelain for Mao.

"But not many people, including me, knew that they were made for top leaders, as the project was secret," says Ding, who recalls his experience of traveling to Beijing to deliver the completed pieces.

Its history of making porcelain for top leaders has benefited Liling's porcelain industry by expanding its influence, says Ding.

Over the years, Liling's underglaze-colored porcelain has seen many changes, says Ding.

"Different colors are being developed for underglaze-colored painting. The paintings and styles, and even the glaze earths, are changing," says Ding.

While only light colors were used earlier, Peng Ling, a 53-year-old underglaze-colored porcelain painter, has developed her own style with strong colors.