Dehua White Porcelain: White Beauty Dazzles the World

德化白瓷：那抹白驚艷世界

Over 400 pieces or sets of Dehua white porcelain were on display in the National Museum of China in Beijing， with the exhibition running from August 26， 2023 for three months.

According to young ceramic artist Chen Chao， Dehua porcelain is extraordinarily pure and white because the kaolin in Dehua county in Fujian has a low percentage of iron， earning it the French name “Blanc de Chine”， or “white from China”.

Sitting in Quanzhou city， where the ancient Maritime Silk Road started， Dehua white porcelain has sold like hotcakes at home and abroad because of its exquisite quality since the Song Dynasty （960—1279）. In 2006， Dehua porcelain firing technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

Despite the past glories， Dehua craftsmen never stop refining their skills. One impressive skill is “the eggshell technique”.

The eggshell technique dates back to the Ming Dynasty. With the technique improved by generations of craftsmen， todays eggshell porcelain can be made as thin as paper and gauze.

400余件（組）德化白瓷作品自2023年8月26日起在北京中國國家博物館展出，該展覽為期三個月。

據(jù)青年陶藝家陳超介紹，德化白瓷色澤純凈無瑕、猶如白玉，這得益于其用料——福建德化縣的高嶺土，它的含鐵量較低。德化白瓷也因此在世界上享有“中國白”的美稱。

德化縣位于福建泉州，這里是古代海上絲綢之路的起點。自宋代（960—1279）以來，德化白瓷就因其精美的特質(zhì)而暢銷海內(nèi)外。2006年，德化瓷燒制技藝列入國家非物質(zhì)文化遺產(chǎn)保護

名錄。

德化白瓷歷久彌新，這有賴于德化工匠一直以來對于技藝追求精益求精。德化瓷燒制技藝中有一項令人嘆服的技藝，即“薄胎技藝”。

薄胎技藝可以追溯到明代。歷代德化工匠不斷改進薄胎技藝，時至今日，依托這一技藝燒制而成的瓷器藝術(shù)作品可以薄如紙紗。

Standing before an artwork named “Paper” at the exhibition， many of the attendees wondered how it was made. “First， a layer of kaolin is applied to sheets of paper. Then， the paper is heated in a kiln for several days until it turns into ashes. Finally， whats left is kaolin. This is how the artwork was made，” explained Chen.

However， this is much easier said than done. Careful attention is given to make sure the clay stays the same as when it was sent to the kiln.

“The temperature and formula of the clay are key. Every component in the clay has its function，” said Su Xianzhong， the artist who created “Paper”. “The failure rate is extremely high， so every work consumes the craftsmans time and energy.” He added that even a small artwork like “Paper” needs continuous focus for a whole week.

Chen said that the refined eggshell technique is just one of the achievements that Chinese porcelain craftsmen have made on the long path of innovation.

“By combining traditional Chinese artistic skills with modern disciplines like material science and humanities， Blanc de Chine will continue to enhance the cultural confidence of the Chinese people as they create even more outstanding works，” said Chen.

站在《紙》這件展出的藝術(shù)作品前，許多參展者好奇它是怎樣制成的。陳超解釋道：“首先，工匠們會在紙上平鋪一層高嶺土。接著，把附有高嶺土的紙放入窯中進行燒制，直至幾天之后紙被燒成灰。去紙留瓷，這樣，作品《紙》最終就完成了?！?/p>

不過，說起來簡單，做起來難。要使黏土入窯前后的狀態(tài)保持一致，需要非常謹慎的操作。

創(chuàng)作作品《紙》的藝術(shù)家蘇獻忠說：“窯內(nèi)溫度控制和黏土混合配方是燒制成功的關(guān)鍵?；旌隙傻酿ね?，其中含有的每種成分都有它的作用。燒制失敗的概率非常高，每一件作品都飽含著工匠的時間和心血?！碧K獻忠還說，哪怕像《紙》這樣一件小型藝術(shù)品，也需要專注做一整周的時間才能完成。

陳超指出，經(jīng)過改進的薄胎技藝，只是中國陶瓷工匠堅持守正創(chuàng)新達成的偉大藝術(shù)成就之一。

“把中國傳統(tǒng)美學(xué)和工藝與現(xiàn)代學(xué)科技藝（比如材料科學(xué)和人文科學(xué)）相結(jié)合，中國陶瓷工匠將會創(chuàng)造出更加出色的德化白瓷，不斷增強中國人的文化自信。”陳超說。

Word Bank

formula /'f??mj?l?/ n. 配方

discipline /'d?s?pl?n/ n.（尤指高等教育中的）學(xué)科