The color of excellence

Dedication of one man sees translucent glaze of Qingbai porcelain make a comeback, Yang Feiyue reports.

If Qinghua (blue and white) porcelain is the crown jewel of porcelain capital Jingdezhen in East China's Jiangxi province, Qingbai (bluish white) porcelain is its hidden gem. Though their names may be similar, the finished results are vastly different.

A far cry from the vibrantly contrasted coloring of Qinghua porcelain, Qingbai porcelain has a more reserved quality.

"It is blue as the sky, bright as jade, thin as paper, and resonant like a chime," says Wang Shangbin, who for decades, has been committed to restoring the Qingbai porcelain, which dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

"In appearance, it is characterized by its translucent glaze, which glows white with a hint of green here, and green with a hint of white there, giving it a jade-like quality," he says.

The porcelain is also known for its hidden relief patterns, which become visible from both inside and out, when held up to the light, he adds.

Historical records show that during the Song Dynasty, Qingbai porcelain was widely produced in most parts of southern China. As one of the first varieties of porcelain, it laid a technical foundation for the development of others, including Qinghua, as well as red underglaze, red and green overglaze, and famille rose (fencai or yangcai in Chinese, a kind of porcelain painted mostly in shades of pink).

The artisan, who is in his early 60s, leads a tranquil life that mainly revolves around Qingbai porcelain. He drives to his workshop in Jingdezhen after breakfast to begin making porcelain with a group of like-minded masters of the craft.

They have reproduced many Song Dynasty-style porcelain items, some of which have been collected by domestic museums and purchased by collectors from abroad.

Born and raised in Jingdezhen, Wang has been immersed in ceramics and its culture and history for most of his life.

During the 1980s, he followed cultural heritage and museology expert Gong Mingxun in studying ancient porcelain, and at first, focused on studying and appreciating porcelain from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

That was until 1989, when two Qingbai porcelain cups at an antique market in Shanghai caught his eye. They were being sold by a fellow Jiangxi native, and were a revelation to Wang, who wasn't aware of the existence of Qingbai at that point.