Let the Ceramic Culture “Come Alive”，Zhang Jingjing, a Deputy to the National People's Congress and Dean of the JCIIS Says

“Bringing ceramic art into life, from the niche to the popularity and then out of China, only in this way can we spread ceramic culture to the world.” As a deputy to the National People’s Congress, Zhang Jingjing, dean of the International School of Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute said in an interview during 2021 NPC & CPPCC National Committee annual sessions.

“Ceramic culture is not doctrinarism, it’s not a vase displayed in a museum, or a written record on paper. It should be alive.” As an artist who has been deeply involved in ceramic art for many years, Zhang Jingjing has created a series of outstanding ceramic works, including the modern blue and white porcelain and modern ceramic art works. She believes that ceramic culture should exist in people's daily life. 

So how to make ceramic culture “alive”? How to transform the cultural value of ceramics into “practical value”?  Zhang Jingjing believes that developing ceramic cultural industry and increasing the added value of ceramic cultural and creative products is one of the ways. 

Zhang Jingjing said that to meet the needs of popular culture, ceramic culture needs to continue to develop creatively and inherit innovatively.  We should integrate Chinese culture into ceramic products, revive culture in products and combine traditional culture with modern lifestyle. Moreover, this “integration” is not merely a pile of Chinese culture, but to make more creative and innovative products for young people, that’s really what innovative inheritance is.

The Jingdezhen National Ceramic Culture Inheritance and Innovation Pilot Zone kicked off the construction in August 2019. A series of cultural and creative industry bases, such as the Sculpture Porcelain Factory,the Pottery Workshop,Sanbao International Ceramic Art Village, and Taoxichuan Ceramic Cultural Creative Industrial Park, have also developed rapidly in Jingdezhen, the “Millennium Porcelain Capital”. 

As the dean of the International School of JCI, Zhang Jingjing has visited South Korea, Thailand, Australia, the United States and other countries for academic exchanges and put forward her own opinions on “how to spread ceramic culture”.

“Ceramic culture can serve as a bridge and bond for connecting with the world, because ceramics is a very good carrier for telling Chinese stories and spreading Chinese culture.” Zhang Jingjing is hopeful that ceramics will be included in the scope of national large-scale exhibitions and major events, and various levels of domestic and foreign ceramic cultural exchange activities be organized.

Zhang Jingjing attented the Turkish International Ceramic Art Work Camp

“We promote ceramic culture to go abroad through the international cooperation between universities and carry out all-round international cooperation in the form of exchange projects, teacher-student exchanges, and scientific and technological cooperation.” Zhang Jingjing believes that the internationalization of ceramic education is also an important way for Chinese culture to go abroad. It is necessary to promote the resource sharing of the international ceramic education platform, and promote ceramic culture overseas in the form of international ceramic art & material science exchange exhibitions and ceramic forums.

Zhang Jingjing attended the International Ceramic Art Work Camp of JCI

It is the fourth year that Zhang Jingjing was elected as deputy to the National People’s Congress. As a member of  China Democratic National Construction Association who is engaged in ceramic culture and education, she concerns about livelihood issues and put forward lots of suggestions and proposals during this year’s two sessions based on sufficient preliminary research on rural revitalization through art design,  improving the public interest litigation system on food and drug safety, narrowing the gap between urban and rural social security, supporting rural social security for the elderly over 70 years of age, and the precaution about network information harmful to juvenile, etc.