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Weekend Character | Sun Yunyi: Handmade "Contemporary Royal Yellow"

author:Qilu one point

2022-09-09Publick Daily 12th edition

Weekend Character | Sun Yunyi: Handmade "Contemporary Royal Yellow"
Weekend Character | Sun Yunyi: Handmade "Contemporary Royal Yellow"

Sun Yunyi at work

Weekend Character | Sun Yunyi: Handmade "Contemporary Royal Yellow"

Sun Yunyi is in the process of creation

Weekend Character | Sun Yunyi: Handmade "Contemporary Royal Yellow"

Sun Yunyi was fascinated by the complex process of "chicken fat yellow"

Weekend Character | Sun Yunyi: Handmade "Contemporary Royal Yellow"

□ Reporters Yang Shudong and Wang Jiasheng

Weekend People, China News Column

Not long ago, the China Light Industry Federation announced the list of the 8th China Arts and Crafts Masters, in the selection of this five-year selection, Sun Yunyi from Boshan District of Zibo City was successfully selected, becoming the first batch of glass craftsmen in the country to be rated as Chinese arts and crafts masters.

Sun Yunyi, 55 years old this year, is the inheritor of Shandong Province's intangible cultural heritage "Boshan Chicken Fat Yellow and Chicken Liver Stone Glass Firing Technique" and the director of zibo Kangqian Glass Art Museum. His name is often associated with a special kind of glass artwork, that is, "chicken fat yellow" glass.

Born in the Liuli family, Sun Yunyi has used nearly 40 years of exploration to crack the long-lost "chicken fat yellow" glass firing technique, so that the former royal "Royal Yellow" has returned to the public vision. The glass works of "Chicken Fat Yellow" and "Chicken Liver Stone" created by him have won dozens of gold awards such as the Hundred Flowers Award and the Golden Phoenix Award in major exhibitions and competitions at home and abroad.

"Only the feeling of heat around the fire and the heavy glass material in my hands can make me steady and quiet"

Imperial craftsmen passed down from generation to generation

"It can be said that I grew up in the glass nest, my grandfather, father, uncle are all glass craftsmen, and uncle Sun Jijie is a master of Chinese glass art. From a young age, I watched the fire rise every day and played with glass marbles. Sun Yunyi said that the family environment gives him a natural sense of closeness and mission to glass production.

The world glass looks at China, and the Chinese glass looks at Boshan Mountain. Boshan is known as the hometown of glass, and is an important town for glass production in terms of natural resources, historical factors, cultural background and other aspects. Boshan glass has a wide variety of exquisite craftsmanship, and has led the main direction of the development of Chinese glass.

According to the "History of Ming", the Ming Dynasty court had an internal official supervisor, and was one of the twenty-four eunuchs in the palace, and the Yanshan Sun clan was the first family in the Boshan glass industry to join the craftsmanship and become a royal service craftsman. As a registered court craftsman, the Sun family managed a part of the shift craftsmen who had entered the artisan's register, and provided glass tribute to the court for more than 200 years.

In 1967, Sun Yunyi was born in the Liuli family in this glass city.

Sun Yunyi liked to draw since childhood, and initially studied Chinese painting with his uncle, laying a solid foundation for painting. In 1983, 16-year-old Sun Yunyi came to work in the painting group of Boshan Fine Arts Liuli Factory, and learned the techniques of snuff bottle painting and glass art creation under the masters Sun Jijie and Chen Dongshun. In his work, Sun Yunyi saw Sun Jijie research and development of "chicken fat yellow" glass, and he gradually became fascinated by the complex process of "chicken fat yellow".

"Glass is a work of art, and the furnace maker cannot stop at the improvement of craftsmanship, but must constantly enrich his mind and enrich his cultural theoretical knowledge." Sun Yunyi continued to study after work, and was admitted to the Shandong Provincial Light Industry Art School in 1990 for further study, this experience gave him a deeper understanding of liuli, especially the "chicken fat yellow" glass, which had a profound impact on his future artistic creation.

In the 1990s, the Boshan Fine Arts Glass Factory closed down. Sun Yunyi's father and uncle opened a small glass factory. "The furnace is a business of seeking wealth in the fire. In the past, the conditions were limited, the working environment was particularly difficult, the temperature in the workshop could reach more than 40 degrees Celsius, and the furnace makers worked bare-chested in winter, and it was difficult to stick to this line without a passion. Sun Yunyi said.

China Glass and Glass Art Master, the 13th National Technical Expert, the Top Ten Ingenious Shandong People, the Shandong Provincial Arts and Crafts Master, the Shandong Provincial Painting Art Master, the Chief Technician of Shandong Province, the Third Qilu Cultural Star... In the past few decades, Sun Yunyi has won honors and titles that even he himself can't count.

The Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts, which is regarded as the highest level honor of the Olympic Games in china's arts and crafts circles, has brought more attention to Sun Yunyi.

"As a glass craftsman, I am very happy and excited to receive this honor, which is the highest recognition of our craftsmen, and it also gives me a lot of motivation to continue to work hard to improve and create more works of art that meet the aesthetics of today's society." With many honors, Sun Yunyi has always maintained a simple heart of a furnace maker, "Only the feeling of heat around the fire and the heavy glass material on my hands can make me steady and quiet." ”

Resurrection of "Chicken Fat Yellow"

The "chicken fat yellow" glass produced by Boshan is shiny and crystalline, warm and dignified, and after polishing, it seems to be infiltrated by ghee, bright and dripping; Moist as jade, the appearance is graceful and gorgeous. Because of its color and oiliness, it resembles the chicken fat in the womb of a hen, and it is appropriately given the name "chicken fat yellow".

This kind of expensive material vessel arose in the early Ming Dynasty and was abundantly produced during the Qianlong period, and has a history of more than 500 years. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the glass factory of the Palace Manufacturing Office asked Boshan craftsmen to produce this glass pigment, which was a special tribute for the court, called "Royal Yellow", also known as "Topaz". In ancient China, yellow was the supreme color and was used exclusively by the royal family, so the "chicken fat yellow" products of the Ming and Qing dynasties were only used by the royal family.

All along, the raw material formula has been the core technology and secret that determines the final yield of "chicken fat yellow" glass. Because the "chicken fat yellow" glass as a royal product of the court can only be enjoyed by the royal family, in the history of firing for hundreds of years, there has been no mature and stable formula handed down, which has become a problem that plagues the glass craftsmen.

According to the record, "Boshan precious glass material 'chicken fat yellow', stone as quality, nitrate to harmonize, reef to forge, copper and iron, Dan lead to change, non-stone is not successful, non-nitrate is not good, non-copper iron, Dan lead is not refined." ”

"Most of the recipes are written about the amount of white material and the amount of ash, the problem is that there are many kinds of white and gray ingredients, and it is not clear what they are." Sun Yunyi said that the production of "chicken fat yellow" glass has never left a precise formula or successful experience, and the development almost has to start from scratch.

In the furnace industry, there is a saying that "chicken fat yellow" glass "ten cylinders nine failures", which means that ten times of manufacturing, nine times of failure, many people in order to make a cylinder of pure "chicken fat yellow" glass and ruined.

"The process of making 'chicken fat yellow' is very demanding, the materials and heat must be just right, even if it is windy and rainy, it will be affected, and a little carelessness will be wasted." Sun Yunyi told reporters that even if the color that is difficult to distinguish with the naked eye is slightly deviated, or a trace of bubbles, it must be resolutely destroyed to ensure quality.

Since the 1990s, the Sun family has been committed to the study of "chicken fat yellow" glass. Sun Yunyi and his father spent three or four months and only made two cylinders of glass materials that were "like that". The family ate and lived near the kiln, and after more than a decade of trial and error, they finally revived "chicken fat yellow" in 2007.

On the basis of the research results of his father, Sun Yunyi has continuously improved from the aspects of materials, processes, technologies, and instrument design, and systematically improved the "chicken fat yellow" technology and formula, from raw material collocation to furnace temperature control, which has greatly improved the yield and the purity of product color. After several generations of trials and efforts by the Sun family, the "chicken fat yellow" glass finally regained its life in the hands of Sun Yunyi. According to the appraisal of scholars from the Palace Museum, the quality of its substances has exceeded that of the imperial "chicken fat yellow" material vessel made by the Qing Palace Manufacturing Office in that year, which can be called "contemporary royal yellow".

In the exhibition hall of the Kangqian Liuli Art Museum in Zibo, the reporter picked up a "chicken fat yellow" snuff bottle, although it was only the size of a palm, it was very hand-dropping. These "chicken fat yellow" works, which are almost equivalent to gold, are condensed by the unremitting research and exploration of generations of glass craftsmen.

In 2012, Sun Yunyi registered "chicken fat yellow" as a trademark, and successfully applied for a national invention patent the following year. In 2015, his works were selected as a long-term cultural and creative boutique project for the Long-term Furnishing and Display of the Baoyun Building of the Palace Museum, which was widely praised.

Refining "chicken liver stone" from waste

There is a saying in boshan furnace line, "Nothing is busy dripping, and the small furnace maker nibbles on the pig's head", which means that as long as the craftsmanship is still good, a furnace maker has no problem supporting his family. But for Sun Yunyi, it is his pursuit to keep improving and elevating the aesthetic value of glass art to a new height.

When the reporter asked which work Sun Yunyi was most satisfied with, he admitted that in fact, every work has regrets and room for progress, "only by constantly innovating and pursuing perfection can we maintain the vigorous vitality of art."

In the ingredient warehouse, a weighing, an enamel jar, a dozen woven bags, Sun Yunyi for the "chicken fat yellow" glass precision ingredients, this work can only be done by mastering the core secret recipe. Although the "chicken fat yellow" glass formula has been successfully resurrected, Sun Yunyi's continuous innovation has not stopped.

In order to improve the quality and yield of "chicken fat yellow", he conducts a more scientific and accurate ratio of more than ten kinds of raw materials, accurately measures the furnace temperature and molding time, and strives to make the traditional material color and wetness to a higher level.

In 2015, Sun Yunyi found that the "chicken fat yellow" glass products continued to explode, considering that it might be an operation problem, he improved the deheating furnace and adjusted the deheating time, but the problem remained the same. What's the problem? Is there something wrong with the raw materials? It takes nearly 20 kinds of raw materials to make "chicken fat yellow", and for a whole month, Sun Yunyi tried the same thing, and after investing millions of yuan, he finally found that there was a problem with an imported raw material. Find the crux of the problem and solve the problem.

Sun Yunyi took out a "chicken fat yellow" glass bowl from the Qing Dynasty, compared with the old pieces, the "chicken fat yellow" glass works produced by Kangqian Liuli are now more pure and bright in color. "Moist as jade, condensed as grease, sound like chimes, price like gold, this is the biggest difference between our 'chicken fat yellow' and other glass, these works because they use real materials, so it is very difficult to hold." 」 Sun Yunyi told reporters that now they have increased the yield of "chicken fat yellow", which can basically reach 40%.

Glass can be used repeatedly, but the glass material of "chicken fat yellow" is different, as long as it fails once, the material cannot continue to be returned to the furnace, because the color of the raw material will become darker, and it is impossible to process the pure color of the "chicken fat yellow" glass product.

It is a pity that these materials were abandoned, and Sun Yunyi had a whim and used the failed "chicken fat yellow" to make "chicken liver stone".

"Chicken liver stone" glass is named because of its color like chicken liver and grain like a good stone. As a simple and elegant opaque dark purple red material, it has thousands of black markings in a large piece of purple red, some such as heavy mountains, cloud shadow water marks, and some such as ancient wood strange stones, flowers and grasses, which are full of fun and reverie. "Chicken liver stone" glass material is most suitable for making elegant utensils, such as a complete set of study utensils, which are not only practical products, but also simple and dignified, elegant and generous desk furnishings, which have always been loved by people in the cultural and artistic circles at home and abroad.

Sun Yunyi's exclusive research and development of the production of "chicken liver stone" glass with "chicken fat yellow" waste clinker not only improves the utilization rate of raw materials, saves costs, but also reduces environmental pollution. The "chicken liver stone" glass produced by this process can form a more natural and flowing pattern, because of its similar "kiln change" characteristics, the pattern is unpredictable, each piece is unique, sometimes it is Nezha who is noisy in the sea, sometimes it is a four-horse carriage team, sometimes it is a crane in the clouds... Always surprise.

In 2016, the "Boshan Chicken Fat Yellow and Chicken Liver Stone Glass Firing Technique" was successfully declared as the intangible cultural heritage of Shandong Province. As a non-hereditary heir, Sun Yunyi aspires to better integrate the inheritance of tradition with contemporary innovation. In terms of artistic creation, he adheres to the concept of "painting must be intentional, meaning must be auspicious", making the glass vessel type more in line with modern aesthetics, and at the same time adding modern elements to the work with diversified carving techniques.

The shape of the glass material in Sun Yunyi's hand is concise and vivid, but the artistic conception is simple and simple. With his profound knowledge of Chinese painting, he moved landscapes, flowers and birds to the glass, and carved quail on the bottle body symbolized peace and beauty... The original rich and atmospheric "chicken fat yellow" glass adds a flexible and different vitality.

In recent years, Sun Yunyi's "chicken fat yellow" and "chicken liver stone" glass works have won gold medals in major exhibitions and competitions at home and abroad. His "Chicken Fat Yellow" radish bottle was exhibited in 2014 by the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery collection in the UK; The "Chicken Liver Stone" radish bottle was collected and displayed by the South Australian Art Gallery in Australia in 2014; "Chicken fat yellow" glass incense burner, eight-edged bottle, "chicken liver stone" glass tea washing, etc. are included in the "General Guide to Chinese Tea Utensils".

With the rise in the popularity of "chicken fat yellow" glass, more and more similar products have appeared on the market. "'Chicken fat yellow' is not a handicraft, but a glass artwork, and you can't blindly pursue economic benefits." If the product quality is good and the selling price is high, everyone can benefit. I incorporate my originality, perseverance and reverence into every piece. Sun Yunyi said.

Burn the furnace and burn the kiln more and more vigorously

"Many glass craftsmen have been involved in this industry since they were young, and although their skills are good, it is difficult to innovate." Sun Yunyi said that at present, what should be inherited and what should be changed in traditional skills is a problem that needs serious consideration.

"Art cannot be high and low, but should develop with the progress of society and the times." Sun Yunyi said that in the next step, while doing a good job in the creation and research and development of new products and new technologies, they must also take the road of industrialization development and lead the industry to seek innovation and change.

Sun Yunyi designed the development idea of "two steps": First, enter the high-end, that is, museums, high-level exhibitions and other elegant halls; The second is to enter the market, continuously improve production capacity, be a productive enterprise, and get more recognition from the market, create a high,000, medium and low-end product ecology, and meet the needs of consumers at all levels.

In his view, the ancient symbol represents the tradition, and when it is done well, it is fashionable, and now the glass practitioners are no longer traditional furnace makers, and should bring the concept of tallness into the design and give the traditional cultural connotation a new vitality. In the choice of raw materials, it is also necessary to use local raw materials as much as possible, this cultural connotation from the homeland can make Liuli works bloom with unique artistic charm and strong vitality, and gain a firm foothold and uniqueness in the world.

In 2017, Sun Yunyi carried out in-depth cooperation with the Cultural and Creative Center of the Palace Museum in Beijing, using "chicken fat yellow" glass to imitate the cultural relics of the courtyard collection according to the 1:1 ratio. The 3D printed model was provided by the Palace Museum, and Sun Yunyi imitated it with "chicken fat yellow" glass. "Chicken Fat Yellow" came from the Manufacturing Office and is now back in the Forbidden City.

"The history of Chinese glass is not the oldest, if you want to go to the world, you must have international cooperation, aim at large enterprises, form our own glass leading enterprises, our 'hand-made' can go further." Sun Yunyi said.

In 2019, he and Hong Kong Yisi Company jointly established Zibo Bosi Glass Products Co., Ltd. (Liuli R & D Center), developed and expanded new products according to market demand, increased product types, expanded the scale of enterprises, increased employment opportunities, provided the industry with support for new technologies and material formulas, unified industry standards and quality, formed a clustered, unified and standardized industrial development model, and promoted Boshan Glass to the world.

Not long ago, Kangqian Liuli was selected as "Shandong Handmade • Preferred 100", Sun Yunyi believes that this is a good opportunity, he looks forward to the government to take the lead in creating a large platform, in the big city to open a window, can have more preferential policy support, the production of products representing Shandong handmade and national image, and then stimulate the glass industry to accumulate and develop.

"Hand-made" is inseparable from craftsmen, and another important reason why Sun Yunyi is eager to build a platform is to solve the shortage of talents that has plagued the glass industry for many years. "The working conditions in the furnace shop are difficult, and most of today's young people are reluctant to suffer from this suffering." Sun Yunyi said that now the company's real work in the kiln is more than 50 years old teachers, in recent years, most of the young people recruited are doing administrative and sales work, glass craftsmen are not picked up, and it is difficult to pass on the skills. He hopes that the glass industry will develop and grow, and it can attract talents with more favorable treatment.

"We want to further create glass artworks that are more in line with the characteristics of the times, especially the glass artworks that young people like to see." In the past, we focused on creating collectibles, and in the future, we will create some small glass crafts for everyone to play with and wear, so that more people can feel the charm of glass. Sun Yunyi said.

Based on this, over the years, Sun Yunyi has actively cooperated with Tsinghua University, China Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University of Visual Communication, Qilu University of Technology and other universities to hold creative design competitions, communicate with young people, and let students participate in liuli artwork design; The use of glass as a material to develop cultural and creative products such as graduation souvenirs, further optimize and expand the market, and enrich the product system.

In order to let more people understand the history and cultural value of liuli, Sun Yunyi took the dissemination of intangible cultural heritage and the promotion of traditional glass culture as his responsibility, and led the establishment of the Zibo Kangqian Liuli Art Museum in Boshan Liuli Garden, which specially displayed and disseminated intangible cultural heritage "chicken fat yellow" and "chicken liver stone" glass works, collected folk traditional cultural materials, including more than 1,000 pieces of glass artwork, including liuli hairpins, glass bi, glass earrings, etc., both daily necessities of ordinary people, as well as gorgeous ornaments of noble and wealthy households. It covers the most distinctive glass ware in Zibo in the Yuan, Ming, Qing and modern periods.

Sun Yunyi hopes that under the background of the new era, Liuliye can carry forward the inheritance in innovation, burn the furnace fire more and more vigorously, and pass on the ingenuity from generation to generation.

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