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A replica of an ancient royal enamel bowl, dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), is showcased at the Beijing Design Week on Sept 23, 2016. [Photo provided tochinadaily.com.cn] |
A series of royal enamelware debuted at the Beijing Design Week on Friday, givingvisitors a glimpse of the rare porcelains used only by the imperial family over300 years ago.
The artistic works, 18 in total, are recreated by an expert team led by SunHeyang, founder of the Beijing-based Zhenghegong enamel research institute. Thenew products not only revived the royal articles used in ancient times but alsocombined them with modern aesthetic taste to meet today's needs.
Among the newly unveiled articles, the most eye-catching ones include a completereplica of an antique bowl originally made during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), afigure of a phoenix - an auspicious bird in Chinese mythology, and a pair of cupsfeaturing flowers and butterflies - symbolizing romantic love.
"Enamelware were a symbol of power and wealth in ancient times, but by recreatingthem today, we hope more people could learn about and own them," said Sun atFriday's launch.
"I also hope that the art treasure, which represented the pinnacle of Chineseceramic art, could be spread to the world via our efforts."
The project was jointly launched by Zhenghegong, the Great Seed Inc. - a Chinesecompany dedicated to promote traditional Chinese craft, and startup company EasyFunding.
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A pair of enamel cups featuring flowers and butterflies, symbolizing romantic love,make debut at the Beijing Design Week on Sept 23, 2016. [Photo provided tochinadaily.com.cn] |
A brief history of enamel painting
The art of enamel porcelain first appeared in ancient China's Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and later thrived in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The craftsmanship,however, gradually disappeared during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of QingDynasty (1711-1799) due to the complicated workmanship which was only limited toimperial workers.
According to historical data, only some 400 pieces are left in today's world.
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An enamelware of phoenix – an auspicious bird in Chinese mythology, is on display atthe Beijing Design Week on Sept 23, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] |
Over 160 procedures to get an enamel product
Sun's team dedicated 13 years' efforts, studying a lot of reference materials andliterature in order to revive the techniques that have been lost for over twocenturies. It requires 167 complicated processes to produce a splendid enamelwork, according to Sun's institute.
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An enamel vase is on display at the Beijing Design Week onSept 23, 2016. The Beijing Design Week, now in its seventhyear, is an annual event held in autumn each year. As aleading international platform in Asia to promote designtrade and communication, over 500 exhibitions and events willbe held across the Chinese capital from Sept 23 to Oct 7 thisyear. [Photo by Li Ping/chinadaily.com.cn]
 | Visitors view enamel items on display at the Beijing Design Week on Sept23, 2016. [Photo by Li Ping/chinadaily.com.cn]
 | Visitors view enamel items on display at the Beijing Design Week on Sept23, 2016. [Photo by Li Ping/chinadaily.com.cn]
 | An enamel porcelain plate featuring a pair of butterflies is showcased atthe Beijing Design Week on Sept 23, 2016. [Photo by LiPing/chinadaily.com.cn] |
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