After participating in the 88th International Crafts Fair in Florence, Italy, at 1 o'clock in the morning on May 4, I returned to Chengcheng County, and on May 5, Liu Zhongyang and Zhou Yindi, the inheritors of Chengcheng Yaotou ceramic firing skills, ushered in a busy day.
On the occasion of the "May Day" holiday, the "Yaotou Ancient Meeting" and other activities held in Yaotou Kiln Park attracted many tourists to "check in". From time to time, tourists come to Liu Zhongyang, Zhou Yindi and his wife to make porcelain blanks "Zhongyang Workshop" and the sales exhibition hall located in the old street of the scenic spot. Whether it is an ordinary tourist or a professional ceramic "enthusiast", Liu Zhongyang and Zhou Yindi have to enthusiastically introduce: our Yaotou kiln is the representative of the northern folk kiln, Yaotou ceramics have a long history, and it is the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects......
"Foreigners give our porcelain a thumbs up"
This time, he participated in the Shaanxi Pavilion of the Florence International Handicraft Exhibition organized by the Provincial Department of Commerce, which was the first time Liu Zhongyang went abroad to participate in the exhibition. Before leaving, he carefully prepared 40 pieces of Yaotou porcelain, including works from the four major kiln systems of Yaotou kiln - black kiln, bowl kiln, urn kiln and sand kiln. Most of them are their own, but there are also works by other inheritors in the park. "When I go abroad to participate in the exhibition, I represent the entire Yaotou kiln," he said.
"The foreigners in front of the booth gave our porcelain a thumbs up!" At the exhibition site, the shape is ancient and simple, the decoration is concise and dignified, the glaze is pure and fine, and the Yaotou ceramics with the distinctive characteristics of "rough and ingenious, simple and vulgar" have attracted the attention of many visitors and exhibitors. With the help of translators, Liu Zhongyang communicated with ceramic artists from Italy and Turkey. They said: "The craftsmanship and shape of Yaotou ceramics are admirable! ”
"A week-long exhibition, and everything was sold out in the first three days!" Liu Zhongyang said that this time he had experience. The next time you have the opportunity to go out to the exhibition, you must bring your own ceramic runner to show the fine Yaotou ceramics while demonstrating the production process of porcelain blanks, so that the visitors will be more impressed, and have a deeper understanding of Chengcheng Yaotou kiln and Yaotou ceramics.
From the first time in 2015 to participate in the exhibition in Chengcheng, to appear in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other domestic big city booths. From 2019, when his works went abroad for the first time to participate in Japan, to this year, he took his works to participate in the International Craft Fair. What makes Liu Zhongyang feel deeply is: in recent years, the Yaotou ceramic market is getting better and better, and the process of getting better is actually the process of constantly "going out". He said that this is first of all thanks to the higher departments, especially the county party committee, the county government and the Yaotou Kiln Park Management Committee to build a platform and actively promote.
"I hope that in the future, more and more people will make porcelain in Yaotou kiln"
In February this year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the list of recommended candidates for the sixth batch of representative inheritors of national intangible cultural heritage, and Liu Zhongyang was selected. Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the All-China Women's Federation issued a notice to announce the list of the first batch of rural craftsmen and famous teachers, and Liu Zhongyang was selected again.
At the age of 18, he began to learn art from the old artists of his father's generation, and now he has become a national-level rural craftsman with many honors. Liu Zhongyang can't forget the advice he heard during the learning process: we will do what everyone likes and needs, and we can do as meticulous as the craft can be. He said that as a ceramic artist, his responsibility is to do a good job of ceramics, bring the dolls (apprentices) well, and let Yaotou ceramic firing skills be better inherited.
Immersed in the ceramic industry for many years, Liu Zhongyang sighed: It was Yaotou kiln that made Liu Zhongyang. The county has built the Yaotou kiln site into an AAAA-level scenic spot, which provides a good development platform and display window for Yaotou ceramics. Especially after the establishment of the park management committee, it has given you support and help in development planning, technical exchanges, publicity and promotion, etc., and is a "caring person" for ceramic artists......
Liu Zhongyang said that he has been to many ceramic producing areas in China, and the biggest hope in his heart is that there will be more and more people making porcelain in Yaotou kiln in the future - which shows that our Yaotou ceramics and tourism industry is developing better and better.
Source: Chengcheng Financial Media