Porcelain, derived from kaolin, a soft, white clay, is distinctive for its whiteness and translucence, a result of firing at extremely high temperatures. Jingde in Jiangxi Province has been the centre of porcelain production since at least the 11th century.
Located in a region with good supplies of kaolin and ringed by forests supplying the fuel for firing, Jingde was home to the kilns used by the Imperial Court. Today, the city’s ceramic industry includes electronic and construction ceramic factories alongside the old family kilns, such as the hundred-year-old Sungong Kiln, which is represented at the Festival by Sun Lixin, the kiln’s current overseer.
Learn more about Chinese porcelain and pottery at the Artist Talk on July 13 at 4pm.
PRICES
Everyone: FREE
Saturday, July 12, 2014
12:00PM – 8:00PM
North Exhibition Common
235 Queens Quay West, Toronto Ontario
Sunday, July 13, 2014
12:00PM – 6:00PM
North Exhibition Common
235 Queens Quay West, Toronto Ontario
Sun Lixin 孙立新
A specialist in porcelain painting, Sun Lixin is the fourth generation of his family to work at the Sungong Kiln in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province. His great-grandfather Sun Hongyuan developed techniques for high-temperature porcelain firing and under-glaze coloring. His grandfather Sun Zhendong specialized in pottery throwing as well as making blue-and-white porcelain with red color. His father Sun Tongxin is a Jiangxi Provincial Master of Folk Art, who excels in making porcelain with under-glaze color.
Cheng Yu 程昱
Cheng Yu promotes pottery culture and pottery event planning in Jiangxi Province, primarily with graduates from the Jingdezhen Pottery and Porcelain Academy. In 2002, he established the Cheng Li Pottery Promotion Center, which facilitates pottery education and organizes pottery promotion events in kindergartens, elementary schools, high schools, and other venues in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Beijing. He graduated from Jiangxi Normal University and received second prize for his porcelain in the Guangdong Craft Exhibition.