First built in Western Jin dynasty (265-317), it was not until Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) that large-production of celadon in the kilns of Longquan in southwestern Zhejiang province began. In the middle and late Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), porcelain-making reached its peak. Ge Kiln (of Longquan), Guan (Official) Kiln, Ru Kiln, Ding Kiln and Jun Kiln were known as the five most famous kilns of the Song.

 Longquan celadon is unique in terms of its raw material selection, glaze preparation, and molding and kiln temperature control, and the finished products have unique aesthetic value. And to a large extent, Longquan celadon is the microcosm of traditional Chinese culture, which is elegant, reserved, honest and quiet, and is the expression of Chinese classical aesthetic taste. In September 2009, the traditional technique of firing Longquan celadon was officially listed in UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The traditional technique of firing Longquan celadon

Born in the town of Baoxi, Longquan city, Zhao Shaobing came from a long line of celadon-making masters. In fact, Zhang began practicing the skills of pottery and ceramic-making when he was very young. In 2003, Zhang was himself named a China Ceramic Art Master in 2003, one of the first group to win the title. Over the years, Zhang has conducted in-depth and systematic experimentation and research on the body glaze characteristics of Longquan celadon, which helped considerably improve its glaze color, and successfully recovered traditional celadon-making techniques such as thin body and thick glaze. He also succeeded in developing a new beige hue for the Ge kiln porcelain, which is another major glaze invention for the Longquan celadon. Indeed, thanks to his unremitting efforts, Zhang has been able to make a thin-body-thick glaze Ge kiln bowel whose diameter is larger than 40 centimeters, breaking away from the tradition that thin-body celadon with thick glaze cannot be made into large-piece ceramics. Zhang’s celadon works include Asking the Heaven, A Bamboo Rain Hat on a Clear Day, The Golden Monkey Teasing the Turtle, among others.

Stamps about Longquan celadon

The making of Longquan celadon is in itself an art, the appreciation of which is akin to a process of purification and spiritual cleansing. It not only testifies to the simplicity of nature but also overflows with humanistic and historic significance. Those masters over the generations have already instilled their thoughts and feelings into the craft of celadon-making, and have touched the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization with their souls.

Editor: Huang Yan