Week 5 Readings

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4. Video Appreciation 1: The Thousand Years Old Kiln Fire in Jingdezhen 3

In the history of Jingdezhen, ceramic artists have a completely different fate. Wang Longfu was influenced by his family to make porcelain and became famous. After the founding of China, Wang Longfu was assigned to work in Jingdezhen Art Porcelain Field. In the mid-1950s, the government launched the firewood-to-coal project, which greatly increased air pollution. When the Cultural Revolution broke out in 1968, Wang Longfu was regarded as reactionary and fell into poverty and deep shame. Sun Lixin, a young ceramic artist, has the parents of both state-owned porcelain workers, and his dream is to become the best worker. However, when Sun Lixin entered the work, the state-owned porcelain in Jingdezhen had gone downhill. In 1993, Sun Lixin triggered inspiration related to porcelain in his work. After that, the Sun family successfully made the beautiful Sun Gongyao porcelain. There are also many craftsmen like them in Jingdezhen who use their hands to create history, create beauty, and create a new life.