The central government should help Jingdezhen, a city in east
China's Jiangxi Province with a thousand years of ceramic history
behind, to be accepted in World's Historical and Cultural Heritage
List, urged Su Xiaoqin, a NPC deputy and secretary of the municipal
Party committee of Jingdezhen.
Su expressed her
excitement over the importance Premier Zhu had attached to
cultural heritage protection in the government's 10th Five-Year
Plan (2001-05). Jingdezhen's ceramic culture has an important
part in the nation's heritage.
Jingdezhen, a city
well-known for Porcelain-making, has enjoyed a big fame through
2,000 years history, viewed "unparalleled" worldwide
in craftsmanship and artistry by experts from the United Nations.
Many people from
other countries began to know China through porcelain, called
"china" in English, which largely came from Changnan
(nowaday's Jingdezhen). The city's ceramic making has been
recorded since the Han Dynasty (BC206-220) in Xinping (later
called Changnan, eventually Jingdezhen). Starting in AD 1004
of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Jingdezhen's products
were exclusively earmarked for royal family use.
Jingdezhen's chinaware
has unique features: white as jade, bright as a mirror, thin
as paper, and pleasantly tinkles when gently flipped.
Jingdezhen is a
place of time-honored culture and numerous cultural remains.
Porcelain from Jingdezhen has enjoyed an international fame
over one thousand years. As an important part of Chinese culture,
Jingdezhen's porcelain art should be carried on and further
developed.
To achieve this
goal, Su said the local government should apply for a World
Cultural Heritage listing for the city to attract more support
and funds. In addition, a larger museum of porcelain art should
be built in China. So far, China has only one small museum
of porcelain art established shortly after the founding of
People's Republic of China in 1949. Due to limited floor space,
many valuable items, unearthed ones in particular, cannot
be properly kept and exhibited. Su disclosed that the city
would hold a series of activities to commemorate its millennium
history in Oct. 2004.
Su said cultural
and natural resources should be better tapped to develop ceramic
making with hi-tech and related packing industry.
According to the
deputy, the city has started a technical revolution since
the 1980s to improve workmanship and to increase product varieties.
Jingdezhen has
attracted scholars, tourists, and businessmen alike. Joint
ventures have been set up.
For a long-term
porcelain development, Jingdezhen has given priority to related
education. It has the country's only university in the field,
the Jingdezhen Ceramic University. The city offers courses
on porcelain craftsmanship for primary and middle school students
to stimulate their creativity and a love of art.
(CIIC by Guo Xiaohong
03/13/2001)
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