Porcelain carving prospers in Zibo city

Porcelain carving, derived from Chinese jade carving and stone carving, is an art that blends painting skills with Chinese ceramics – and it's thriving in the city of Zibo, in East China's Shandong province.

A civil organization that focused on porcelain carving was established in Zibo in 1990. Just over two decades later, in 2013, the city's porcelain carving made it onto the third list of intangible cultural heritage projects in Shandong province.

Porcelain carving involves using various hard tools – like chisels made of alloy steel – to engrave different designs onto porcelain items, so they exhibit a unique artistic charm.

In some regions of China during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), people collected porcelain items from various households for significant events such as weddings and funerals.

They would then engrave marks on the porcelain to ensure the items were returned to their original owners. This special tradition has been passed down through the generations to today.

However, it should be noted that porcelain carving at that time was not seen as an art form due to its practical uses.

According to existing evidence and literature, the porcelain carving technique emerged during the Qianlong emperor's long 60-year reign (1736-95) and gained popularity in the Guangxu period (1875-1908) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the Republican period (1912-1949).

Initially limited to the imperial court, porcelain carving eventually became accessible to ordinary people.

During the Qianlong period, people started to carve landscapes onto porcelain panels. These panels were then framed with purple sandalwood to create stunning indoor hanging screens.

The Guangxu period saw significant development in porcelain carving, with a growing variety of decorated porcelain items – including vases, tea sets, jars and bowls. The scope of subject matter also expanded beyond landscapes to flowers, birds, figures and calligraphy.

Over the past two decades, Zibo's porcelain carving has garnered several accolades at domestic and international exhibitions.

Additionally, 10 artists from Zibo have been recognized as national-level masters of porcelain carving.