The best ceramics, called "China"
——Li Youyu, founder of Hanguang Porcelain
Interview with the author: Guo Hui
Ancient Chinese ceramics in the museum,
Modern Chinese ceramics are stalled on the ground.
To return to the top of the world,
Modern Chinese ceramics must cross two mountains:
One is a Chinese Ming and Qing dynasty official kiln;
One is the porcelain factory of european royal brands.
We used it for 15 years and did it.
- Lee Yoo-woo
(Founder of Hanguang Porcelain: Li Youyu)
Junshan Teenager: I have loved calligraphy and painting since I was a child
In 1954, Li Youyu was born in Yueyang, Hunan. Junshan in Dongting Lake. At that time, his name was: Li Youyu. "You" is a generational tradition, and because of the heavy rain at birth, his grandfather named him "Rain", so he was called Li Youyu. However, everyone likes to affectionately call him "Little Rain".
Junshan has a calligraphy master, Mr. Qian Xiangkun, a high-achieving student who graduated from Nankai University, known as "Yueyang's first pole", is a good friend of "Xiaoyuzi"'s father, and has become his calligraphy enlightenment teacher. Every once in a while, he came to instruct him, so "Little Rain" learned a good hand.
In 1966, the 12-year-old "Xiaoyuzi" met the "Broken Four Olds" to change their names. He had a clever move and decided to use the harmonic sound "Li Youyu (Li Youyu)" to take the meaning of "proud of the world, travel around the universe".
In addition to calligraphy, Li Youyu also found a particularly interesting thing - painting glass paintings on the wedding bed. Follow the second brother who can paint according to the folk painting score, use paint to fill the color on the reverse side of the glass, flowers and greenery, festive and beautiful. This is the first painting he came into contact with, although it is difficult to climb the elegant hall, but it is popular with the people.
In high school, because of his good writing, he was recommended to draw a blackboard newspaper. The art teacher who graduated from the Teachers' College taught him to draw newspaper drawings, portraits of the chairman, prints, oil paintings, etc. In addition, whenever he has the opportunity, Li Youyu also likes to depict the endless dongting lake and the mist-shrouded patio mountain.
In this way, Li Youyu's paintings gradually became professional from disorderly.
Words, good writing, good painting, painting, Li Youyu's academic performance is also very top-notch, especially mathematics, physics and chemistry, often close to full score.
His excellent logical deduction ability in learning laid a good foundation for him to make ceramics in the form of data in the future.
At that time, he was not only the class leader, but also the deputy head of the school propaganda orchestra, who could play erhu, play the flute, and make and assemble radios... That's right, "someone else's child."
(Hunan. Yueyang.Dongting Lake. Junshan)
Station Manager of the Cultural Station: Holding an exhibition of peasant paintings
In 1973, at the age of 19, Li Youyu graduated from high school. In 1973, in China, there was no college entrance examination, no migrant work, Li Youyu had only one choice: to return to his hometown to work as a farmer.
However, it seems that fate will always favor those who work hard, and after Li Youyu worked as a farmer for half a year, his people's commune prepared to build a cultural station, and he was recommended as the "station manager". The head of the cultural station sounds very loud, but in fact, his status is only a little higher than that of the cooks in the commune.
Although this is just a light rod commander who is only "less money and more things are close to home", Li Youyu has done a great job: forming a peasant choir team, forming a peasant painting creation team, forming a peasant basketball team... A farmers' painting exhibition was held for the first time, and the basketball team even won the second place in the county games!
People who work hard do everything brilliantly.
Gradually, the commune leaders threw the commune's briefing notes to him for writing. He wrote hard that the leader was satisfied, and before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the leader said, "You go and broadcast it." ”
yes? Am I a broadcaster? Li Youyu had to catch the ducks on the shelf, but because he was excited and nervous, Li Youyu's voice trembled! He has always demanded that "big things and small things must be beautiful", how can he endure! Li Youyu had to secretly hide in the room and practice repeatedly, look at the mirror lip-sync, listen to the radio to practice pronunciation, learn to write a radio draft from the commune secretary...
Finally, "XuShi People's Commune Radio Station, below broadcast a message of Xu City", Li Youyu's Mandarin with Yueyang accent, flew loudly on Dongting Lake. Li Youyu's interviews, writing, and broadcasts are becoming more and more popular.
(Old photo: Painting children)
Workers, peasants, and soldiers: Yearning for the temple of art
Although the director of the commune cultural station has done a good job, Li Youyu is still a little dazed in his heart, because the expectations of the enlightenment teacher and his father are like the vines of Dongting Lake that haunt his heart, he longs for the opportunity to improve his skills, and he longs to further study.
As the saying goes: opportunities are always given to those who are prepared. In 1974, Li Youyu, who was said by the leader to "entrust everything to him", was recommended to the prefectural cultural center for further study and began a more formal art training. In 1975, the leaders of the commune unanimously approved him to join the Communist Party of China and unanimously recommended him to become a worker, peasant, and soldier college student.
That year, at the age of 21, he began his first step towards the temple of art, and this first step changed Li Youyu's life.
To this day, Li Youyu still remembers the scene of that year:
While accepting the school's selection in Yueyang, he met Zhang Huaqing, a teacher at Hunan Light Industry College (now Changsha University of Science and Technology).
Teacher Zhang listened to a classmate recommend that Li Youyu was very good at painting and writing well. He handed Li Youyu the clip and brush he was carrying and asked him to draw a classmate's sitting posture.
When drawing the shoelaces, he couldn't draw anything, and Li Youyu was sweating profusely: "Classmate, please untie the shoelaces, let me see how this knot is played!" ”
Because of the limited time, the shoelaces were not finished when the manuscript was submitted, and he was so upset that he went home every day to draw the shoelaces, thinking that there might be no drama.
Who expected that after a few days, Teacher Zhang called and said that he had been admitted!
In the next two years, Li Youyu received a formal art education, drawing, color, design... He also studied Chinese painting with the master of Chinese painting, Mr. Li Tianyu.
During the winter and summer vacations, he was busy copying famous Chinese paintings and laying a solid foundation for brush strokes. In the center of Huxiang culture, at the foot of Yuelu Academy, he began to step into the temple of art.
After graduating with excellent grades, he gave up the opportunity to enter the Hunan Provincial Light Industry Department and chose to stay in school. Half a year later, when the college entrance examination was resumed, he helped the school recruit students while preparing lessons, and was also responsible for receiving teachers from colleges and universities from all over the country who came to Hunan to enroll.
(Changsha University of Science and Technology today)
77 College Entrance Examination: Admitted to the Central Gongmei
In 1977, the national college entrance examination was resumed. The news that the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts had come to enroll deeply touched Li Youyu's restless heart. In the two years of studying art at Hunan Light College, he has opened his eyes and knows that he has not learned enough, and the more he learns, the more he feels that the ocean of art is vast and boundless.
This time, he set his sights on Beijing!
The favorite Central Academy of Fine Arts does not enroll, Li Youyu applied for the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts (now the School of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University), more than 2 years of professional study laid a solid foundation, coupled with a very good mentality, and finally stood out from more than 80,000 students in Hunan who applied for the Academy of Fine Arts!
When he got the acceptance letter, he had mixed feelings. I am glad to be able to go to Beijing to see the world, worship the master, and continue further study. The worry is that my father died when I graduated from high school, and now the eldest brother has just married, the burden is not light, and the mother and two younger sisters are supported by the second brother.
The second brother, who is only two years older than Li Youyu, has excellent grades and is talented in painting, but after graduating from Yueyang No. 5 Middle School, he became a private teacher, with a low salary, and struggled for many years to become the village principal step by step. And himself, just succeeded the second brother to become the pillar of the family...
Li Youyu looked at the rain outside the window, smoking one after another, sometimes with tears in his eyes, sometimes with sad faces.
The first to hear the news were the principal and colleagues, and while everyone was happy for him, you donated five yuan and I ten yuan, joking that when he returned from school, he would continue to be a colleague.
This gave Li Youyu great confidence, and he immediately rushed home. Who knew that after the second brother saw the acceptance letter, he interrupted Li Youyu's worried words:
"Little Rain, do you think this is just your dream?" This is also the dream of the second brother! Smash the pot to sell iron also have to go! Li Youyu couldn't help but cry when he heard this, the second brother's calligraphy and paintings are famous far and wide, if it were not for the family's tiredness, he would also have the opportunity to further study!
The villagers heard that Li Youyu's admission to beijing's universities was boiling, and once he passed on ten to ten hundred, it became "Li Youyu was admitted to Peking University!" ”
In January 1978, at the age of 24, Li Youyu went north to study. Standing on the bow of the boat riding the wind and waves in Dongting Lake, Li Youyu looked at Junshan Mountain, looked into the distance, and couldn't help but shout in his heart: Hello, Beijing, I am coming!
(Former site of the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts)
Poor Zhijian: Diligent study has cultivated a profound foundation
Beijing is full of talent, but consumption is also rising.
Even if the second brother's monthly salary of 20 yuan is divided into half to Li Youyu, plus a monthly subsidy of 9 yuan, his college life is still tight. Because, in addition to life, Li Youyu often worries about buying school supplies and painting tools.
Fortunately, among the students, some of them have been working for 5 years, they are paid more than 30 yuan a month, and Li Youyu follows the tooth sacrifice when they are invited.
Professionally, because he wanted to continue his studies in Chinese painting, he chose the closest ceramic art major - although he did not know ceramics.
After class, he went to the teacher's house to grind ink, study the teacher's drawing method, and ask if he didn't understand.
On the weekend, I took a steamed bun and a kettle to the Palace Museum and the exhibition hall to soak, and almost copied the famous paintings of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. In the winter and summer vacations, I carry quilts and clothes on my back, go to the famous mountains and rivers to sketch, and borrow my hometown at night.
In the 77th class, they received a group of the most famous Chinese painting masters in the Chinese art world such as Zhang Tong, Wu Guanzhong, Bai Xueshi, Yu Zhizhen and other most famous Chinese painting masters in the basic class; in the professional class, it was the Chinese ceramic industry giants who personally taught, such as Zheng Ke, who specialized in decorative sculpture, Zhu Danian, who specialized in pastel, Yang Yongshan, who specialized in modeling, Chen Ruoju, who specialized in decoration, Zhang Shouzhi, who specialized in design, and Ye Zhemin, who majored in ceramic history.
(Famous cartoonists Hua Junwu and Zhang Shouzhi and Li Youyu)
The old gentlemen have not had the opportunity to go to the podium for many years, so they know everything in class, pour out what they have learned all their lives, and teach the students a teacher and friend. What is even more rare is that many masters returned from studying abroad, brought contemporary art education abroad, and taught the most advanced knowledge system at home and abroad at that time.
A teacher for a day, a father for life. To this day, Li Youyu maintains good contact with teachers and classmates.
In 2011, when Teacher Bai Xueshi passed away, he tearfully wrote a eulogy for his mentor:
What is honesty? What is Great Wisdom? What is a teacher? What is charisma? What is everyone's demeanor? In the life of our teacher, Mr. Bai Xueshi, he was able to embody it most perfectly and truly.
Teachers not only teach us how to practice art, but also teach us how to deal with things and how to behave.
The evaluation was unanimously endorsed. Mr. Bai Lao, who is always the first to arrive in outdoor sketching, has traveled west with a crane, but the artistic seeds he sowed have thrived in the hearts of Li Youyu.
After being exposed to ceramics, the glorious and splendid history of Chinese ceramics made Li Youyu feel very shocked and proud. The challenges of the comprehensive art of design, modeling, painting, sculpture and so on made him obsessed.
A clear sense of responsibility gradually sprouted in his heart - to revitalize Chinese culture and contribute to Chinese ceramics.
(Snow White Stone)
Abandon the golden rice bowl: just to get acquainted with porcelain
At the beginning of 1982, Li Youyu, who was excellent in his studies, was transferred by the central ministry to the head office of the Chinese Mint Bank and assigned to the Shanghai Mint to design gold and silver commemorative coins.
Carrying a backpack, Li Youyu went south to Shanghai and held the golden rice bowl that everyone envied.
After coming, I found that the design of the commemorative coin is not only confidential, but also requires multi-department, multiple designers to work together, each person is only responsible for a very small part; the presentation of the design results is also a first-level approval decision, and there is basically no personal play.
The lack of professionalism and the love of ceramics prompted him to make a decision that surprised everyone: he asked to be transferred from Chinese Bank.
At that time, Li Youyu, who joined the party early, had a strong party spirit, and was a solid professional, was the technical backbone of the factory and was repeatedly entrusted with heavy responsibilities by the director of the factory.
Li Youyu politely refused the retention of leaders at all levels, and immersed himself in copying high-level coin reliefs from France, Italy and other countries after work, laying a solid foundation for the future relief art.
Two years later, the god of fate took care of him again - he was transferred to Shanghai University to prepare for the construction of the Ceramics Department and ceramic research institute of the Academy of Fine Arts.
Ceramic art is a comprehensive discipline that organically combines art and science, which requires the complementarity of science and technology and creative art.
Therefore, ceramic art workers must not only be proficient in design, modeling, painting, decoration and other arts, but also good at dozens of processes and processes such as tire glaze formula, mud making, molding, drawing, firing and so on.
As a discipline leader, 30-year-old Li Youyu led everyone to start the research road of combining production, education and research, and began the journey of ceramics.
(School of Fine Arts, Shanghai University today)
Worry urges progress: Willing to seek revival of ceramics
From 1983 to 1989, Li Youyu archived and sorted out the lecture notes of the teachers and all the ceramic materials that could be collected, and read and thought all night.
With the deepening of his studies, he was deeply worried about the current situation of the decline of China's ceramic industry.
If I used to want to make ceramics because I was proud, then now, I want to make ceramics because of my mission - to bring Chinese ceramics back to the world stage.
In order to smoothly promote the project, Li Youyu even gave up the opportunity to study abroad. And on the basis of the original process technology bold innovation, finally developed a new process of ceramic medium temperature underglaze color.
In 1987, Li Youyu and his team used the new process they invented to produce ceramic jewelry, one dollar a piece, all exported to the United States. Ceramic jewelry is in short supply as soon as it is listed in the international market, generating more than 1 million yuan in revenue for the school every year.
This new ceramic process not only generated great income, but also won the second place in the income generation of Shanghai University Research Institute at that time, and also won the first prize of Shanghai University Scientific and Technological Achievements, and won the "New Product Award" of Shanghai Light Industry Products.
In this year, Li Youyu was named a professor at Shanghai University and appointed deputy director of the Ceramics Research Institute of the School of Arts of Shanghai University.
Li Youyu, who has a monthly salary of more than 100 yuan, was also rewarded by the school with more than 20,000 yuan a year and got the first set of incentive houses in Shanghai.
At this time, Li Youyu was only 33 years old, which can be described as "spring breeze triumphant horseshoe disease". The success of the achievement has further stimulated the ambition of the cause of ceramics, and his vision of ceramics has been aimed farther, thinking about Chinese ceramics going to the world.
(Li Youyu's ceramic mural)
There is still a long way to go: thousands of miles to explore
In 1989, when an invitation came from afar, he set off triumphantly – as a visiting scholar, he went to Osaka University of the Arts in Japan to study modern ceramics and teach Chinese ceramics.
After a good week of classes, Li Youyu went to the six famous ceramic production areas of Shigaraki, Seto, Bizen, Arita and Shimizu in Kyoto.
(Shimizu yaki ceramics in Kyoto, Japan)
He found that Japan's traditional ceramics and industrial ceramics, "after fully inheriting the traditional Chinese porcelain-making techniques, have fully formed their own national characteristics and squeezed into the list of modern world ceramic powers." "Each district has its own distinctive characteristics, not imitating each other, not plagiarizing, and not blindly imitating the past."
At that time, the five famous kilns in China were still copying or imitating ancient porcelain, or painters painted on ceramics according to famous paintings. It is no wonder that at the contemporary ceramics exhibition in Japan at that time, there were products from Japan, Britain, Germany and other countries, but there was no Chinese porcelain. To find Chinese ceramics, there are also, either in ordinary supermarkets or on the ground stalls.
After recognizing the humility of modern Chinese ceramics, Li Youyu was vague when he talked about Modern Chinese ceramics.
Afraid of what is coming, a Japanese scholar asked him: "Chinese ceramics, in addition to the glory of ancient times, in the modern past hundred years, are there any new ideas and new progress?" ”
Wave after wave of unevenness, after visiting the Japanese ceramic archaeology Taidou Tenggang for a while, Li Youyu gave the predecessors a salute with Japanese etiquette, but the Taidou was expressionless and said in a very arrogant tone: "The history of Chinese ceramics you talked about was first written by our Japanese. ”
On this day, Li Youyu was even asked by students to demonstrate Chinese-style blank pulling on the spot. He knew that his skills were inferior to others, and he could not quit, so he had to perform a handmade teapot for his classmates, which was his strong point.
Afterwards, he told his classmates: "Pulling billets in China is the work of workers, and professors do not pull billets." ”
In addition to going to the ceramic production area, he also visited dozens of authoritative figures in the Japanese ceramic industry, such as Mitsuru Yamada, Osamu Suzuki, Yasuo Hayashi, and Mutsuo Yanagihara.
(Li Youyu personally made ceramics)
He was surprised to find that both Japanese pottery masters and students have strong hands-on skills, such as kneading mud, pulling blanks, configuring glazes, and firing them all by themselves, so each pottery work has its own pottery language and style.
Their living conditions of "both scholars and laborers" greatly affected Li Youyu and alerted him to the major flaws in domestic ceramic education.
After the lecture, he politely refused the best efforts of his friends in Japan, and embarked on the journey home at the end of the starry night.
He saw the problems existing in modern Chinese ceramics, so "solve the problem if there is a problem"!
From 1991 to 1993, he visited liling, Jingdezhen, Yixing, Shiwan, Chaozhou and other major ceramic producing areas in China, and served as a technical consultant for Yixing Purple Sand Factory No. 3 and No. 5.
In "Three Years of Sunday Engineers", he designed and produced a series of modern and avant-garde purple clay pots and ceramic sculptures, which sold well in Taiwan Province and Southeast Asia. Therefore, it has also accumulated a lot of income and become the first pot of gold for future entrepreneurship.
Because of the income of three or four hundred thousand a year, he also provoked a whistle-blowing letter to fly to the school like a snowflake: no taxes were paid. Crying and laughing, he made up the tax before it was calmed.
(Purple sand pot made by Li Youyu: Taiyu Shengfeng)
Thousands of tao: blowing out the wild sand begins to gold
Why are ancient Chinese ceramics strong?
Because there were official kilns in ancient China. The Chinese official kiln is a government act that lifts the strength of the whole country, is dominated by the elite scholars and doctors in society, and is the product of the perfect combination of brilliant creativity and the exquisite skills of craftsmen.
Ceramic craftsmen were not only proud of the royal porcelain, but also took a high degree of risk: the punishment after failure even included capital punishment such as losing the head, and it was impossible not to go all out.
Why has Chinese ceramic culture not been broken for thousands of years?
In addition to the official kiln, the daily needs of the people can also feed the market.
Why are Chinese ceramics more than 1,000 years earlier than European ceramics?
There are soils throughout the country that can be fired ceramics, and our ancestors first knew porcelain clay and mastered the principle of firing in long-term practice.
(Li Youyu at the ceramics factory)
Why can Chinese ceramics influence the world?
In the long history of five thousand years, many dynasties in China have social stability, economic prosperity, strong national strength, the capital is one of the global economic, political and cultural centers, so China's tea, silk, ceramics spread to all over the world, and deeply loved by people all over the world.
Now Chinese ceramics are worse than foreign high-end ceramics?
In terms of the handicraft technology of porcelain firing, the skills of European, American and Japanese ceramics have not yet caught up with the ancient Chinese official kilns. What modern Chinese ceramics lack is creativity and innovation!
The brand influence of The 300-year-old history of Mason in Germany is unshakable - we do not shake others, we pursue the continuation of the glorious history of Chinese porcelain for more than 2,000 years, and reshape the world image of Chinese ceramics.
(Picture from the network: German Maison Ceramics)
Why is Chinese culture not confident now?
Have you read Confucianism, Taoism, Mojia, Dharma? "Twenty-Four Histories", "Heavenly Works", "Compendium of Materia Medica", "I Ching", "Yongle Canon"...
Without reading Chinese culture, what kind of cultural self-confidence is there?
……
After figuring it out, in August 1993, the prosperous Li Youyu resigned from public office at Shanghai University. This matter is sensational, because the income of 300,000 or as a visiting scholar can break through the standard to raise the high, so the only quota for the whole school to promote the title of high school is already Li Youyu!
It is said that forty is not confused, and this year, he is 39 years old. No more, quasi-full professor positions are not needed, hundreds of thousands of income a year is not needed, iron rice bowls are not needed, all kinds of honors are not needed...
Later, Li Youyu said: "I am a very rational person, I compare the history and current situation of Chinese ceramics with foreign ceramics comprehensively horizontally and vertically to find out the problem." Only by clarifying these problems first can we find a real entry point and determine the possibility of independent innovation. I enjoyed everything I should have enjoyed for the first 40 years, and I wanted to use my most creative time to do something for Chinese ceramics. ”
(Li Youyu in thinking)
Forge ahead: Han Guang does not stop walking
As a first step, he went to Fengxian, Shanghai, to rent an abandoned ceramics factory.
The second step, January 25, 1994, was established.
The third step is to travel to more than 100 ceramic producing areas across the country, select raw materials, and visit pottery masters.
The fourth step is to actively study innovation and apply for patents. Hanguang porcelain has obtained more than 500 national invention and design patents.
The fifth step is to visit the world's royal ceramics and famous production areas, including Meissen, Rosenthal, Nynfenberg, Copenhagen and other famous ceramic manufacturers.
The sixth step, Jingdezhen general 3 yuan formula, Hanguang porcelain in 3 years to invent the 7 yuan formula, there is 8 yuan formula. The temperature of the kiln has reached an unprecedented 1400 degrees.
The seventh step, in order to improve the purity and whiteness, the method of combining handmade and modern high-tech iron removal is adopted to minimize the iron content of the iron oxide in the Hanguang porcelain glaze and obtain the best material effect.
(Hanguang porcelain: porcelain for the state banquet of the Expo)
The eighth step, after thousands of repeated tests, solved various complex problems such as deformation, coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal stability, and combination of billet and glaze.
After unremitting efforts, Hanguang Porcelain has won more than 20 national gold and silver awards.
Behind the success of these efforts, Li Youyu paid an unimaginable price:
In the past, when the small one million accumulated by the engineer on Sundays, the era when fifty thousand houses in Shanghai could buy a set was simply astronomical, but Li Youyu was "defeated" in less than a year.
"Rich man, no money man is difficult", there is no way, he can only borrow money from friends and colleagues. Because of their popularity, everyone gave generously, and even did not let him write an IOU, jokingly saying: "It's a big deal to use your work to pay off debts." ”
The friend who borrowed the most, lent him 2 million at a time, 2 million in the early 90s!
After the funding problem was solved, he focused on the development of Hanguang porcelain.
The positioning of Hanguang porcelain is based on science and technology, artistic creation and design as the leading, creating a highly difficult, high-quality ceramic variety that can represent the artistic outlook and craftsmanship of Chinese contemporary ceramics, and taking this as a starting point to truly promote the development of modern Chinese ceramics.
Ancient Chinese ceramics in the world's leading position, Li Youyu to use "Hanguang porcelain" to win back again!
In fact, after the founding of New China, the government also did "7501" and "9501". Among them, "7501" was a great success, and once became "China's last red official kiln".
(7501: also known as chairman's porcelain)
Li Youyu and his team in the experiment, at the beginning of the "7501" as a model, after countless failures, everyone gradually lost confidence.
At a meeting, Li Youyu smoked one cigarette after another, suddenly enlightened, and shot up: "Why do we want to be like '7501'?" Wouldn't it be better than it? "Emancipating the mind and expanding the scope of experiments may be the beginning of success."
Hanguang porcelain is not an official kiln, but it is pursuing a quality beyond the official kiln.
Many process uncertainties are the biggest problem. Sometimes a kiln can make you happy, and sometimes a kiln can make you jump, indicating that the kiln fire is still difficult to control for thousands of years.
Therefore, since ancient times, there have been tragic legends of kiln workers' daughters who are worried that they will not be able to burn a good official kiln, and jump into the kiln to sacrifice themselves, commonly known as "sacrifice red".
In addition to the sacrifice according to folk customs, Li Youyu remembered that during the Japanese lecture, the Japanese kiln had to record the firing of the kiln every 15 minutes, the size of the damper, the level of air pressure, the pumping force of the flue, and the changes in the weather. Accustomed to rational thinking, he decided to use destructive experiments to break the habit of Chinese burning kilns by feeling and experience.
He summed up and mastered the rules from repeated failures, and successfully solved the troubles and uncertainties caused by the weather and seasons. Nowadays, "Hanguang Porcelain" can be fired in kilns for 366 days, and each kiln is guaranteed to be successful and can already be controlled in the firing process.
For five years, Li Youyu and his team have been dead with Chinese official kilns, with the world's first-class royal ceramic brands, with temperature, with recipes, with handicrafts... Unprecedented.
Not a single product was sold during this period because he was not satisfied.
The borrowed money soon burned out, Li Youyu realized that light "throttling" is not enough, but also open source, decided to "pottery porcelain" - the first in the country to combine pottery and architectural environment art, launched the pottery as the main raw material of the art design, and this profit to raise "Hanguang porcelain" research and development.
(Lee Yoo Woo and his students)
Chunhua Qiushi: Hanguang porcelain recasts brilliance
People often say: ten years to sharpen a sword, the sword is drawn to the sky! Ten years of work, the work is self-perfecting. The dedication and efforts of Li Youyu and his team finally "keep the clouds open to see the moon", and Hanguang Porcelain's success reports were frequently reported:
In 1997, the interior decoration project of Jing'an Jinting Restaurant in Shanghai Meilong Town Square won the first battle and became famous in the first world war. The whole pottery space is magnificent, the tone is unified, and the wild nature is full, which awakens people's inner closeness and desire for nature.
The national intention contracts and agreements flew like snowflakes, and later built the relief of the sunken square of the urban planning of Wujin City, Jiangsu Province, the building façade of Shanghai Hennas Square, the Europas Restaurant in Harbin, the Beijing Astronomical Club, the "Century Mural" (restoration) of No. 12 bund in Shanghai, and so on. The effect of "cultivating porcelain with pottery" was immediate, and the "Hanguang Porcelain" team was able to pursue various extreme studies without distraction, and the results were fruitful.
In 1999, the research of "Hanguang Porcelain" was successful. The "Hanguang Porcelain Works Exhibition" is hosted by the National Art Museum of China, and its "white, transparent, moist and pure" super-group characteristics and fresh and elegant artistic style are eye-catching.
In 2001, the underglaze color "Pastoral Daisies" won the Gold Medal of China Arts and Crafts at the 3rd China Arts and Crafts Exposition. In 2007, it was collected by the National Museum of China.
In 2002, the underglaze color "Bamboo Begonia" was collected by the Purple Light Pavilion of the State Council.
In 2004, Hanguang porcelain was recognized as a traditional arts and crafts technique in Shanghai. At the IBLAC meeting, as a special gift in Shanghai, it was given to the heads of the world's top 500 enterprises. The inscription of Li Tieying, then vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, was presented to the leaders of the people's congresses of various provinces and cities.
In 2006, he was named the fifth "Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts".
In 2007, the "ceramic high temperature underglaze color" process won the national invention patent.
In 2008, he was hired by Fudan University as the deputy dean of the School of Fashion Design of Shanghai School of Visual Arts, Fudan University.
(Han Guang Porcelain: Ice world, White House Collection)
In 2009, the underglaze work "Ice world" was presented to US President Barack Obama by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and is now in the White House. "Hydrangea Butterfly" was presented by State Councilor Liu Yandong to "Microsoft Father" Bill Gates.
In 2010, Hanguang Porcelain won the "Top Ten Luxury Brands with Chinese Elements" award and the title of "China's Most Influential Brand of High-end Daily Porcelain".
(Hanguang Porcelain for State Banquet: Golden Autumn Yihe)
(Hanguang porcelain became the special porcelain for the wives of the heads of state of the 21st APEC meeting)
In 2014, Hanguang Porcelain created the porcelain "Golden Autumn Yihe" for the national banquet of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, which amazed the world and was widely praised, and was designated as the special porcelain for the wives of the heads of state of the 21st APEC meeting.
(Bach and Li Youyu)
In 2015, IOC President Thomas A. Bach and dozens of people visited the Hanguang Porcelain Ceramics Exhibition Hall. After watching and understanding some of the creative achievements of Hanguang Porcelain, he was praised and expressed his vision and expectation of grafting the design concept and artistic elements of Hanguang Porcelain into the fields related to the Olympic Games.
(Hanguang Porcelain: Magnolia Festival)
(CIIE Thank You Certificate)
In 2018, Hanguang Porcelain created the "Magnolia Festival" for the first China International Import Expo, and the organizing committee of the first Expo specially issued a certificate to thank you.
In the same year, "Legend of Ingenuity" was "curator" by Yang Lan, and many performing arts stars served as "ingenuity ambassadors", visiting twelve Chinese original, world-class, future-oriented Chinese contemporary artisan masters, Yang Lan came to learn pottery with Li Youyu and interviewed him.
(Li Youyu and Yang Lan)
Hanguang porcelain: back to the top of the world
At the beginning of the founding of Hanguang Porcelain, Li Youyu realized that modern Chinese ceramics had to climb two mountains to return to the top of the world: one was an ancient Chinese official kiln, and the other was a modern European royal porcelain.
Now, Hanguang Porcelain speaks with data:
(Comparison of Hanguang porcelain and world famous brands, famous porcelain in Chinese history, and physical and chemical indicators of modern Chinese porcelain)
The above data comes from the testing institution of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which shows that a series of physical and chemical indicators of Hanguang porcelain not only surpass the German Rosenthal, the world's recognized most cutting-edge porcelain brand, but also refresh the world record!
In the winter of 2005, Li Youyu and his wife visited Meissen, Germany, accompanied by Mr. Smit, CEO of Siemens China. Li Youyu took out several pieces of Hanguang porcelain large-mouth bowls and plates that were buckled on the glass plate, and the plates were stable and unmoving. Then take out The Maison product is also buckled on the glass plate, and none of them is not shaken. In the unbelievable eyes of the Maisen people, Li Youyu said slowly: "This is one of the new standards formulated by Hanguang porcelain in contemporary high-end porcelain." ”
In fact, for the import and export of porcelain, different countries have their own clear standards, talking about lead discoloration. At present, in addition to Hanguang porcelain in the world, no porcelain can be lead-free. Because they use glaze color, even roasted flower products require lead as a flux.
And Hanguang porcelain is a unique underglaze color! Lead free!
At the time when Chinese athletes frequently broke records at the Beijing Winter Olympics and broke through their limits, Hanguang Porcelain also silently returned to the top of the global ceramics on behalf of "China"!
Han, Han Dynasty invented ceramics, Han People, Han Dynasty, referring to "China"... Light, light, brilliance, glory, light...
Chinese culture, carry forward. In ancient times, there were blue and white porcelain, and now there are Hanguang porcelain. It is not an official kiln, but an official kiln.
Hanguang porcelain has been highly recognized by many peers in the world:
At the annual meeting of the National Ceramic Art Education in the United States in a certain year, peers said: "The fine selection of materials, the good craftsmanship, and the beauty of the presentation are incredible." ”
Australian ceramic glass expert Peter Crisp praised after reading: Several famous porcelains in the contemporary world cannot be compared with it.
Fumio Shimada, a professor at the Department of Ceramics at Tokyo University of the Arts in Japan, said: "Hanguang porcelain makes people's eyes shine. ”
Along the way, Li Youyu has done a lot of things that ordinary people can't understand: from university teachers to poor students; from the technical backbone of the Chinese Bank to the establishment of the Ceramics College of Shanghai University; from the successful retirement of quasi-Zhenggao positions, everything is cleared, and he puts down his body to play with mud as a craftsman; from the annual income of three or four hundred thousand yuan in the early 90s to asking people to borrow money everywhere...
Today, even if Hanguang porcelain has shined on the global stage and proved with strength that "China is not only a ceramic power, but also a ceramic power", Li Youyu does not dare to relax at all, because he knows that the revival of Chinese ceramics is a long way to go, and Hanguang porcelain still has a long way to go to become a world-class brand.
(Han Guang Porcelain: Peace)
Zhuangzhi Mijian: Build a world brand
Seventy years old, Li Youyu, who is now 68 years old, is still "the old Ji Fuzhi is in a thousand miles", and he is concerned about the cultivation of successor talents in the ceramic industry, and has returned to the university as a professor. This time, whether he is talking about ancient Chinese ceramics or modern ceramics, he is passionate and full of confidence!
(Li Youyu explaining the ceramic problem)
At the end of the interview, the author asked Master Li: "Have you ever regretted anything special along the way?" ”
Because in the eyes of others, his road is always very smooth. This is related to his Hunan personality of "eating bitterly, being patient and being arrogant", and it is also related to his stubbornness of "doing beautiful things in big things and small things", and it is also related to his good popularity along the way, supporting and helping his teachers and friends.
"There's nothing to regret." He smiled slightly, "The method is always more difficult than the difficulty." As long as you want to do it, there is always a way. ”
In Li Youyu's eyes, all for one hope, I hope that one day, Chinese can proudly announce to the world: Chinese porcelain, back!
"Is there anything you have to say to the reader?" I can't help but ask one last question.
"Oh, everyone knows that porcelain is called 'China'; but I don't know that the best porcelain in the world is called 'Hanguang Porcelain', which is in Shanghai, China!" Li Youyu blurted out, "Hanguang porcelain, lead-free!" Welcome to visit! ”
In order to make Hanguang Porcelain a "world brand", Li Youyu spared no effort to launch the promotion action of Hanguang Porcelain and is committed to three actions:
Action 1: Establish hanguang art museum. Borrowing the cultural living room in the western suburbs of Shanghai, the Hanguang Art Museum was set up to display various masterpieces of Hanguang porcelain. Here, you can admire the many excellent productions of Hanguang porcelain and truly feel the beauty of Hanguang porcelain. It is reported that in the future, you can also carry out high-end customization here, and what you like, you can customize.
Shanghai Western Suburbs Cultural Living Room - Hanguang Art And Life Hall
No. 16, Longbai Villa, Lane 2489, Hongqiao Road, Shanghai
Action 2: Establish a Hanguang Art Experience Base. Take a seat at the Hanguang Ceramic Art Museum in the south of Shanghai to establish a garden-style ceramic experience base. Here, you can not only appreciate the art of ceramics, but also witness the process of making ceramic art first-hand.
Shanghai Hanguang Ceramic Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Li Youyu Ceramic Art Museum: No. 13, Lane 1885, Daye Road, Fengxian District, Shanghai
If you still feel that you are not happy, perhaps, you can also make a ceramic yourself to satisfy your desire to become an artist.
(Shanghai Hanguang Ceramics Manufacturing Co., Ltd.)
Action 3: Establish a Hanguang porcelain display area. The Hanguang Porcelain Exhibition Area was set up in the Treasure Vault Ingenuity Hall (38th floor of Shanghai Center), which is known as the "Highest Treasure Exhibition Hall in Shanghai". The Treasure House of Ingenuity collects many ceramics, jade carvings, metal crafts, weaving and dyeing embroidery and thangka, lacquerware, bamboo and wood carvings and other works of Chinese arts and crafts masters and national non-hereditary inheritors, of which the "Master Space" has 28 masterpieces, among which Li Youyu and Hanguang porcelain are among them.
(28 Master Figures)
Li Youyu's Hanguang Porcelain Exhibition Area was set up in the world-famous Shanghai Center Treasure House ingenuity hall, so that tourists from all over the world can appreciate and recognize Hanguang porcelain, which will bring Hanguang porcelain closer to the world.
(Treasure House Ingenuity Hall: 38th Floor, Shanghai Tower)
The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation needs the revival of Chinese culture and Chinese skills, of course, including the revival of China (ceramics), Li Youyu's dream of "world brand" of Hanguang porcelain, is the Chinese dream, is the dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, for this, we are full of expectations!
Hanguang porcelain, welcome to everyone!