Exotic Sparkling Porcelain Light
——Impressions of China Porcelain Art Exhibition in Tunisia
The Cultural City of Tunis
Exhibits at China Porcelain Art Exhibition
Local audiences in Tunisia tour the exhibition
Exhibits at China Porcelain Art Exhibition
Chinese ceramics, as the presentation of China's longstanding culture and superb craftsmanship, has had a profound influence to the whole world, especially the West in ancient times. The French missionary Père Francois Xavier d'Entrecolles came to China during the Emperor Kangxi of Qing dynasty and carried out missionary education in Jiangxi and Beijing for more than 40 years.Furthermore,he lived in Jingdezhen for 7 years.In his letter back to his country, he has introduced Jingdezhen's politics, economy, customs and culture while detailing the various porcelain production techniques,which has caused a sensation in Europe at that time and creat a major boost to the ceramic industry that flourished in Europe.On the other hand, with the development of trade between China and the rest of the world, a large number of Chinese porcelain has entered Europe, which has had a profound impact on the lives of local people with a subtle influence. In other words, the Chinese porcelain,as a beautiful card of Chinese culture,undertakes the glorious mission of spreading the fine traditional culture of the Chinese nation.
The "China Porcelain Art Exhibition", under the organization of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Tunisian Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Embassy in Tunisia, has been held at the cultural city of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia from May 16th to 22nd. The event, considered an opportunity to promote Chinese culture with that of ceramics, has convened the masterpieces by a group of talented ceramic art artists of modern Jingdezhen, expressing traditional Chinese culture by employing ceramics as the carrier. They sought to innovate through the expression of their works and creative techniques, presenting people with a fresh feeling,a perfect blend of tradition and innovation.Meanwhile, these works comprehensively reflect Jingdezhen's various ceramic crafts and porcelain painting techniques: eggshell china as thin as paper, lifelike ceramic sculptures, bright and elegant blue and white porcelain, gorgeous colored glaze, crystal and clear famille rose porcelain amongst others. Visitors seemed to experience a long history of Jingdezhen porcelain as they entered the exhibition halls.
The exhibition has attracted many local people who have shown keen interest in Jingdezhen porcelain. A local artist was particularly interested in famille rose porcelain. He was most curious about how the soft and moist coloring effect was produced and inquired about the production process in detailwith written notes.One of the visitors was very fond of the work Four Gentlemen and praised the cultural abundance of China when he learned that the four plants, plum blossoms, orchids,chrysanthemum and bamboo, represented the four characters as tenacity, elegance, uprightness& humility and unyieldingness of China’s philosophers. There were also porcelain music performances at the exhibition sites as guests were attracted by the crisp and melodious tone of the porcelain music. Some stopped to listen and some viewers were eager to try. In addition, a film concerning the history, scenery and porcelain culture of Jingdezhen has been broadcast circularly onsite in order to comprehensively introduce the city’s porcelain culture. This film has been completed by the time of three years, featuring beautiful pictures, smooth music and precise commentary, attracting many people.A lady told me that she was almost moved to tears after watching the video, and I read a glimmer of her longing for Jingdezhen from her sincere eyes. As a local from Jingdezhen, I feel very proud. Indeed, Jingdezhen, a land of treasure, is waiting for more people around the world to discover, appreciate and explore.
After his tour of the exhibition, Tunisia’s Minister of Culture, Mohamed Zine EL-Abidine said: "Art is very important, and it promotes cultural exchanges between China and Tunisia. Chinese ceramic art is an important part of Chinese cultural heritage. The excellent ceramic works displayed at this exhibition reflect the elegant taste of contemporary ceramic art."As he said, art can enhance bilateral exchanges, as it does not have borders, and the pursuit of beauty is commonly shared by all mankind. Bright and solid porcelain body, rich and heavy-colored glaze, smooth and powerful lines, well-conceived images, ingenious carvings, and universal values such as truth, goodness and beauty conveyed from the pictures will undoubtedly be recognized and favored by people all over the world.When the audiences of this exhibition were admiring the fine art created by the artists of Jingdezhen, they were engaged in a spiritual dialogue with the artists over there thousands of miles away from them. This dialogue, no need to be translated, comes from people’s most primitive and simple aspirations and understanding of beauty. When these works touch a corner of the visitor's heart, the value of the art outshines. People of different skin colors, races and countries will draw closer to each other and deepen their understanding due to the pursuit of universal beauty and the discussion accordingly. I think it is also the deeper significance of the Chinese porcelain art exhibition in Tunisia.
In ancient times, Chinese porcelain has reached countries around the world along the Silk Road and the sea route. Nowadays, with the continuous enhancement of China’s overall national strength and the implementation of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, Chinese porcelain is believed to enter more countries. Porcelain is a major contribution made by China to the world civilization. And China should play a greater role in the current world of ceramic art and embed porcelain culture to make greater contributions to enhancing China's soft power.
