The Tinghuai Ru Porcelain Lab and Fine Art College of Tsinghua University announced plans to begin research collaboration in Ruzhou, Henan on July 25. This is a symbol of the cooperation between Tsinghua University and the Tinghuai Ru Porcelain Research Center. Traditional Ru porcelain is an art form and practice that seeks to integrate its methods into study, research and production.

Ru porcelain is the first of five Chinese porcelains and has a history spanning more than 1,000 years. Ru porcelain was praised as “the sky after the rain” because of its simple and pleasant style and its warm and bright colors. It was also used in the royal palace by emperors during the Song Dynasty. Because the porcelain firing process is so special and complex, the amount of Ru porcelain from official wares remains less than 100. In 2011 the firing skills required to create the porcelain was inscribed upon the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List for its protection as an art form.

Zhang Guye, Director of art history research at Tsinghua University, said that as a top arts and crafts college in China, the Fine Art College of Tsinghua University has abundant research power. In addition the Tinghuai Ru Porcelain Research Center and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Demonstration Base in Henan are both experienced in traditional Ru porcelain processing. Therefore the Ru porcelain base, through the union of Tsinghua University and the Tinghuai Ru Porcelain Lab, will adapt Ru porcelain to modern aesthetic demands and promote its practicability and market competitiveness.

Ling Tinghuai, Ru porcelain master, notes that Ru porcelain is unknown to ordinary people because its role as royal porcelain left it hidden in the palace. This classic craft should not only be relegated to exhibitions in museums, but can also be applied towards common contemporary life. “The clash of tradition and modernity will develop traditional Ru porcelain,” said Ling.

The strategic cooperation between Tsinghua University and the Tinghuai Ru Porcelain Research Center will be phased in gradually. First, they will promote the exchange of talent in the coming three years and then they will gradually deepen their cooperation through research and the extension of industrial networks.