Craftsman Dedicated to Revitalization of Tri-colored Glazed Pottery in Henan

Craftsman Dedicated to Revitalization of Tri-colored Glazed Pottery in Henan

河南90后留美青年回乡烧制唐三彩：“守住这门手艺，让更多人喜欢”

 

Nanshishan village of Luoyang city, Henan province, is famous for producing exquisite ancient-style tri-colored glazed pottery (or Sancai, a kind of Chinese porcelain characterized by a glaze with three intermingled colors, flourished in the Tang Dynasty). As an important village of Sancai culture in China, Nanshishan has been thriving for thousands of years. Almost everyone living in the village can make copies of the ancient tri-colored glazed pottery and terracotta figures. Nowadays, a group of youngsters have returned to Nanshishan for their businesses, which has injected new vitality to the traditional tri-colored glazed pottery. Gao Zhe is one of them.

洛阳市邙山岭上的南石山村，因唐三彩仿古技艺精湛而远近闻名，被誉为“中国唐三彩文化第一村”。在这里，几乎家家户户都会仿制古陶器，村头巷尾随处可见仿制的三彩、秦俑，千百年来，村子里窑火生生不息。如今又有一批年轻力量返乡创业，为传统唐三彩注入“新血液”，点燃了“三彩小镇”的文创热，高哲就是其中一位代表。

 

Back to Luoyang for tri-colored glazed pottery technique learning

美国留学回到洛阳，继承家业烧制唐三彩

 

Gao Zhe, a young native of post-90s, has kept an indissoluble bond with tri-colored glazed pottery since he was born. His father, Gao Shuiwang, is a representative inheritor of the firing technique of tri-colored glazed pottery, a national intangible cultural heritage project. Gao Zhe was grown up in the workshop, and therefore the defective pottery became his toys. For this reason, since childhood, he has been familiar with each workshop, kiln and exhibition hall, and witnessed the hardships in making tri-colored glazed pottery and inheriting such a technique.

高哲是位90后，从他呱呱坠地的那天起就与唐三彩结下了不解之缘。他的父亲高水旺是国家级非物质文化遗产唐三彩烧制技艺代表性传承人。高哲打小就在厂区里面长大，小时候经常拿烧坏的瓷器当玩具。对每个车间、每个窑炉、每个展厅都非常熟悉，也目睹了父辈们制作唐三彩和传承唐三彩技艺的不易。

A tri-colored glazed camel. [Photo provided to Dahe Daily]

"To some extent, my father raised me by making and selling tri-colored glazed pottery." Gao Zhe said that he has fostered a special affection for them.

“可以说是父亲靠仿制唐三彩、卖唐三彩把我养到这么大。”高哲说，和平常人看待唐三彩不同，他对唐三彩有着一份特殊的感情。

 

Gao Zhe went to America to study international trade when he was 19. Looking back, he still remembers a special marketing class during which his teacher asked them to choose a product and promote it to all the international students present. What he chose was a piece of tri-colored glazed pottery from his hometown. "When I finished my presentation in English, my classmates were deeply impressed!" Gao Zhe said that they found it incredible that Chinese farmers can turn a pile of clay into such exquisite art works. It was because of this presentation that the professor gave him a high score and that he gained a new understanding about the tri-colored glazed pottery.

19岁那年，高哲到美国加州大学读书，学习国际贸易专业。回忆起海外留学的经历，有一件事让他至今难以忘怀。高哲介绍，当时在一堂市场营销课上，教授让他们选取一件商品，推广给在座的各个国家的留学生，高哲选择的就是老家洛阳的唐三彩。“当我用英文演讲完之后，台下的同学都惊呆了！”高哲说，中国农民能把一堆泥土做成如此精美的艺术品，让很多外国朋友觉得不可思议。正是因为这一场演讲，教授给他一个很高的分数，也让他对唐三彩有了一个全新的认识。

 

To introduce the exquisite tri-colored glazed pottery to the world so that more international friends can realize their artistic value and appreciate the charm of traditional Chinese culture, Gao Zhe returned to Luoyang after graduation.

留学结束后，高哲选择回到洛阳。他希望可以把洛阳唐三彩推向全国、推向全世界，让更多外国人欣赏唐三彩的艺术价值，领略中国传统文化的魅力。

 

Defective products smashed every year worth more than 1 million yuan

传统工艺严格把关，一年摔碎作品价值上百万

 

Upon returning to his hometown, Gao Zhe couldn't wait to learn the firing technique of tri-colored glazed pottery from his father. Under his father's guidance, he learned each process carefully and attentively.

回到家乡后，高哲所要做的第一件事就是要把父亲的唐三彩制作工艺学到手。从选土、塑形、素烧到施釉、釉烧、开相，高哲跟着父亲仔细学习着每一道工序，丝毫不敢马虎。

A cartoon figure designed by Gao Zhe. [Photo provided to Dahe Daily]

To ensure the quality of tri-colored glazed pottery, they established a strict rule: Any work that even has the slightest flaw must be broken into pieces.

为了严格把控唐三彩的制作工艺，家里有一个“铁律”：有一丁点儿瑕疵的作品都必须摔碎，坚决不能流入市场。

 

In a corner, a variety of broken pieces of tri-colored glazed pottery are scattered everywhere. "If you find a flaw in your work, it will be smashed no matter how complicated the firing technique is." According to Gao Zhe, many of those smashed are relatively expensive, and basically, nonprofessionals can not spot the flaw. If calculated according to the market price, the value of those broken works each year exceeds 1 million yuan.

高哲带着记者来到厂区的一处隐蔽角落，地上堆满了各式各样的唐三彩碎瓷片。“不管制作工序有多复杂，只要发现作品有一点瑕疵都要摔碎。”高哲坦言，其实摔掉的很多作品都比较昂贵，一般人是看不出破绽的，如果按照市场成品价格算，每年摔碎的作品的价值都在100万元以上。

 

Creative works popular among the youngsters

拥抱新潮流让唐三彩抓住年轻人的心

 

With the development of society, people's tastes are changing, too. How to meet the youngsters demands? As a new inheritor, Gao Zhe has his own idea.

随着社会的发展，现代人的审美观、价值观也在发生变化。传统的老工艺如何突出重围，进入年轻人的市场，作为唐三彩新一代的传承人，高哲也有着自己的思考和规划。

 

"I don't think that the youngsters dislike tri-colored glazed pottery, but the old-fashioned themes, such as camel, horse and terracotta figure.” According to Gao Zhe, in recent years, he has added modern elements to the traditional firing technique with his partners and designed many creative products.

“我认为现在的年轻人不是不喜欢唐三彩，而是不喜欢唐三彩传统骆驼、马、人物俑的造型。”高哲介绍，近年来，他带领团队把传统制作工艺融入现代元素，先后研发出了卡通版人物俑、唐三彩存钱罐、十二生肖唐三彩，并和动漫公司合作研发了动漫人物联名款唐三彩等众多的文创产品。

Creative figures designed by Gao Zhe. [Photo provided to Dahe Daily]

At the exhibition hall, rows of creative figures featuring a group of female musicians preparing to perform at the royal palace stand out. Gao Zhe said that after the debut of Night Banquet in Tang Dynasty Palace (a show made by Henan TV), such amazing products sold well in the market and were in short supply sometimes.

在唐三彩博物馆展厅，一排排创意人物俑“唐朝胖妞儿”显得格外引人瞩目，一群宫廷舞女姿态可爱、造型生动。高哲介绍，自《唐宫夜宴》舞蹈爆火“出圈”之后，这类文创产品在市场上销售旺盛、供不应求。

 

Gao Zhe is now developing a research base of tri-colored glazed pottery, attracting hundreds of primary and secondary school students almost every week.

除此之外，高哲目前正在打造唐三彩研学基地，几乎每周都会有数百名中小学生来到这里，学习唐三彩背后的历史文化知识，体验制作唐三彩的乐趣。

 

"Luoyang is my home. Only in Luoyang can I tell the story about tri-colored glazed pottery in a more genuine way!" According to Gao Zhe, as a new inheritor, he wants to bring such a technique passed down for generations to a greater height. "Luoyang is now being built as a youth-friendly city. I also have the responsibility and obligation to make a contribution to Luoyang by making more people fall in love with Sancai and Luoyang."

“洛阳就是我的家，我只有在洛阳才能把唐三彩的故事讲得更真实！”高哲说，作为唐三彩新一代的传承人，他要把祖辈传承下来的手艺发扬光大。“现在洛阳正在建设青年友好型城市，作为青年的一分子，我有责任和义务在唐三彩这个行业为洛阳出一份力，让更多人喜欢唐三彩，爱上洛阳。”高哲说道。（中文来源/大河报 记者/曹杰 程飞虎 编译/赵汉青 海报/王君艺 审校/陈行洁）