Master kilnman Hu Jiawang and his son Hu Haitao collaborated to conduct the opening ceremony of Jiahai wood-burning kiln in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province on Jan 1. Together, they pushed open the kiln door, unveiling exquisite pieces of porcelain that had withstood the intense heat of 1,300 C and undergone the meticulous craftsmanship of 72 porcelain-making processes.
The ceremony drew ceramic enthusiasts and art collectors from various cities, including Beijing, Tianjin and Shenzhen in Guangdong province.
As a national intangible cultural heritage inheritor, Hu Jiawang possesses techniques and knowledge required for achieving a wide range of color glazes for ceramics. He has devoted his life to studying the ancient craftsmanship passed down over a millennium in Jingdezhen, known as "the capital of porcelain". To him, each firing represents an exploration and a tribute to the beauty of nature.
