1904, Xiong Xiling, a native of Fenghuang, Hunan Province (who served as Prime Minister of Beiyang after the Revolution of 1911) and Wen Jun Duo, a juren from Liling who participated in the "writing on the bus", went to Japan for an inspection in line with the idea of saving the country through industry.
During their stay in Japan, they found that Japanese porcelain industry has advanced technology and excellent products.
After returning to China the following year, accompanied by Wen Junduo, Xiong Xiling visited the main producing areas of coarse porcelain in Liling, and found out the main reasons for the backward production of Liling porcelain industry. At the same time, he saw the favorable conditions for Liling to further develop porcelain production: a broad consumer market, rich porcelain clay resources and low labor prices.
Immediately put forward the idea of "establishing schools and companies", which was strongly supported by the Hunan government.
At that time, Hunan Official Porcelain School was officially opened in Liling. The following year, Hunan Porcelain Manufacturing Company was established in Liling, with Xiong Xiling as the general manager and Wen Junduo as the school supervisor.
The company hired Japanese technicians and Jingdezhen skilled workers to introduce the most advanced production technology and equipment in Japan at that time, which opened a new era of Liling from coarse porcelain production to fine porcelain development.
Liling's unique underglaze porcelain was developed under this background.
First, the early stage
Previously, Liling porcelain used a single cobalt oxide (commonly known as soil ink) as raw material for color decoration. After the rough flower pattern is hand-painted, it is glazed and fired into underglaze blue-and-white porcelain.
From 1907 to 1908, Hunan Institute of Porcelain developed a variety of underglaze pigments, such as grass green, navy blue, bright black, ochre and agate red.
Famous painters of Hunan Porcelain Company and graduates of ceramic classes of porcelain school have repeatedly developed and produced refreshing colorful underglaze porcelain by using self-made underglaze pigments, double hooks filled with water and "three-firing" method of Chinese painting.
Under-glaze multicolored porcelain is exquisite in porcelain quality, exquisite in painting, fresh and elegant, unique in style, colorful under glaze, showing vivid pictures, which has high artistic value and use value.
Its appearance immediately aroused great concern and praise from people in the industry and public opinion at home and abroad.
From 1909 to 19 1 1, Liling underglaze multicolored porcelain participated in Wuhan Persuasion Association, Nanyang Persuasion Association and Dulang International Competition respectively, and won gold medals in succession. Liling porcelain began to make a name for itself in China and went to the world.
"White as jade, bright as a mirror, thin as paper and loud as a chime" was a good evaluation of Liling porcelain at that time.
Second, the medium term.
19 15, Liling porcelain crossed the ocean and participated in the Panama Pacific World Expo held in San Francisco, USA. The underglaze colored lentil and bird porcelain bottle and Kweichow Moutai won the highest honor, winning back two gold medals for China.
The lentil and bird porcelain bottle is a classic work of Hunan Porcelain Company 19 1 1 year.
The bottle is 46.8 cm high and 20 cm in diameter, white as jade, shaped like a phoenix tail, with smooth lines, crystal glaze, calm and elegant colors, vivid and natural color composition and exquisite craftsmanship, which is amazing and praised by foreign public opinion as "the peak of oriental ceramic art".
Since then, Liling porcelain has enjoyed a world-renowned reputation, with an endless stream of buyers, and a number of private fine porcelain manufacturing companies have been built one after another. At that time, the grand occasion kept pace with Jingdezhen, and underglaze colored porcelain became a major feature of China ceramics, which was also a world-wide initiative.
After a short development of one or two decades, the production of underglaze multicolored porcelain began to decline in the late 1920s and was affected by many wars. Many porcelain factories in Liling 100 stopped production, and Hunan Porcelain Company, which was the first to produce underglaze colored porcelain, closed down on 1930, and the production of underglaze colored porcelain was interrupted.
Third, after liberation.
From 65438 to 0949, Liling was peacefully liberated, and the dying Liling porcelain industry was like a dead tree in spring. In the following years, Liling porcelain industry quickly recovered and made great progress.
1954, in order to resume the production of underglaze colored porcelain, which was interrupted for more than 20 years, after repeated searching by relevant departments, Wu Shouqi, the first graduate of the original pottery painting class of Hunan Ceramic Industry School, was found.
At this time, Wu was nearly old and was enjoying his old age in the countryside.
After Wu Lao came out of the mountain, while training underglaze painters, he reformed the traditional craft, changing "three firing" into two firing, and the production of underglaze colorful porcelain was restored in a short time.
Since then, Hunan Ceramic Research Institute and Liling Porcelain Company Art Porcelain Factory (Li Qun Porcelain Factory) have been established one after another, becoming specialized research and production units of underglaze decoration.
During this period, Liling porcelain industry quickly realized the historic transformation from manual to mechanical, from wooden kiln to coal kiln. New materials, new technologies, new processes and new products emerge in an endless stream, and underglaze multicolored porcelain reappears brilliantly, even gaining the reputation of "national porcelain".