Huang Yongping, inheritor of underglazed five-color porcelain firing technique
2024-03-12
He has been conducting theoretical research and summarizing experience on the firing technique of the Liling underglazed five-color porcelain, with the purpose of promoting Liling ceramic culture.
What’s more, Huang Yongping is also enthusiastic about public welfare and charitable causes. In the past decade, he has donated and auctioned his works multiple times, all proceeds from which have been used for charitable purposes.
Huang Yongping was included in the recently released list of candidates for the “Good Samaritans of Hunan” in the first quarter of this year.
In fact, Huang Yongping’s path in ceramic art has not been smooth. Huang Yongping once worked as an art teacher in a high school, and a technician and a salesman in rural enterprises.
He entered the Liling Ceramic Research Institute in 1983, where he studied under the sculptor Luo Jingxin and began designing and making ceramics.
At the end of the last century, influenced by the market economy, state-owned ceramic enterprises in Liling went bankrupt and closed down one after another. Ceramic artists continued to leave the industry, and Liling porcelain almost suspended production.
At that time, many people underestimated the prospects of underglazed five-color porcelain, but Huang Yongping saw hopes in it.
With extraordinary courage and wisdom, he established a factory with his wife in 2000. After several years of efforts, the original ceramic workshop now has a production base covering thousands of square meters.
Since 2008, Huang Yongping has been a part-time professor at Hunan Arts and Crafts Vocational College, and served as a visiting scholar at the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University in 2009.
Afterwards, he was also invited by Tokyo University of the Arts in Japan to give lectures on Liling underglazed five-color porcelain.
In a series of cultural exchange activities, Huang Yongping found that there was almost no research on Liling porcelain firing technique, and there was no book specifically introducing it. Even in monographs introducing Chinese ceramics, there was no detail description about Liling porcelain craftsmanship, which had a negative impact on the inheritance and promotion of Liling porcelain.
Therefore, Huang Yongping began to devote himself to studying the development history and craftsmanship of underglazed five-color porcelain. He has published professional academic papers in multiple journals and edited the “Ceramics Volume of Hunan Crafts” in the “Complete Collection of Chinese Arts and Crafts”, systematically presenting Liling ceramic culture to the world.
Since 2009, gift porcelain created by Huang Yongping have been sent to leaders of more than 40 countries worldwide.
In addition, Huang Yongping is also a man of public spirit. In October 2012, he donated his works to Liling Charity Association, and all the money from auction was used for charity.
In June 2014, his underglazed color works was donated to Changsha Xixin Zen Temple Charity Foundation, which was auctioned for 280,000 yuan to help some students.
In June 2015, his another underglazed green color work was once again donated to Changsha Xixin Zen Temple Charity Foundation, and were auctioned for 300,000 yuan to help some students.
