Inlaid porcelain is a craft reflects the ancient architectural achievement. Originated from the late Ming Dynasty, this craft reached its zenith in the late Qing Dynasty.

　　Strained by feudal hierarchy in ancient China, most traditional craftsmen learnt a skill through apprenticeship or familiar inheritance. Based on such models a traditional craft laid particular stress on experiential accumulation and could only be obtained through sensual learning. The shortage of systematic theory led to a torpid development of inlaid porcelain with crude and simple skills.

　　Modern inlaid porcelain, in contrast, is grounded on a systematic theory brooded from scientific research achievements. It helps to cognize the multilayer, multi-spatial, reticular structure of a matter and impels a fundamental innovation in research method and conceptions. By permeating the compositional skill of Chinese painting into inlaid porcelain, this craft could be optimized. Everything created in inlaid porcelain gains vitality. Besides, the material has changed from colored ground porcelains to underglaze colored porcelains, which profoundly improves the quality and durability. These changes renew the aesthetic phenomenon and aesthetic life of inlaid porcelain in Chaozhou region. Recently a Chaozhou Inlaid Porcelain Museum was founded in Fenghuang-zhou Park to support the research of this craft, rendering it even more stunning and outstanding. Chaozhou TV Station produced a feature for this craft.

　　Chaozhou is the hometown of porcelain and it has been long a tradition for architects to apply inlaid porcelain in their design. Such a craft is especially employed in the design of roof, median ridge, spine, pavilion, rake angle and other decorative parts. The front and rear cantilevers under the roof, arch over the gateway, sash and windowsill are decorated with inlaid porcelain, too. Now we would like to take “The Couple Phoenixes Facing Peony” inlaid in the median ridge of the roof of Temple of the Queen of Heaven in Fenghuang-zhou Park as an example to explain this craft, from the selection of materials, creative process to the artistry.

　　Selection of Materials

　　1. Porcelain is the essential material. First paint the thin China bowls and fire them. An alternative is underglaze porcelain which is durable and retains brightness in color. Use tools to cut certain shapes out according to the demand of design. For unexpected cases, such as lack of porcelain and strange shapes, an on-site inlay is optional.

　　2. Selection of detailed materials and execution

　　Lime made from choice conch shells is the ideal binding material. The process is as follows:

　　Valerian Mortar:

　　Use a hammer or knife to smash the rotted He Grass or Mapi Herb dipped beforehand. In order to enhance the viscosity and tenacity of materials, this process must be done by hand slowly only.

　　Then add the smashed and rotted He Grass (or Mapi Herb) into shell lime in proportion of 1:1; smash till the two materials mix evenly and gain a proper tone.

　　Big-white Mortar:

　　First grind dipped rice paper or Gaolian paper into foam; bask the white and viscous shell lime made from choice sea shell for 100-200 days and then add it to the foam; smash till the mortar is formed and no viscosity is felt.

　　Second-white Mortar:

　　Same process to the Big-white mortar, but only bask the shell lime for 50-80 days and add some water during the process of smashing.

　　High-end Mortar:

　　This is made from the ripest and whitest shell lime fired from thick shells. Add shell lime basked for 200 days into foam of rice paper (process see above) and smash the mixture till no viscosity is felt. After that dilute it with water for 4-5 times then pour the mixture on a piece of Gaolian Paper laid on a red brick. Let the paper absorb the water. Last move the dry mixture into a bowl and smash till it is no more viscous.

　　Sugar Lime:

　　Put some brown sugar and water together and boil them. The proportion of sugar is 60-70%. After that add Second-white Mortar and stir the mixture. This is used as pasting material.

　　Grey Paste:

　　Similar to the High-end Mortar, Grey Paste is made from high-quality shell lime but without foam of rice paper. The process is the same to High-end Mortar. But after the dehydration shape the mixture to a 2- or 3-centimeter diameter and 20-entimeter long grey paste. Put the paste on a brick and expose it to the sun and rain for 3-4 months. For use add some water to the paste and grind it in a bowl.

　　Foil:

　　Produced in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province; natural color and a high percentage composition of silver; could be used for dying.

　　3. Selection of pigments

　　Different from the pigments applied in painting, pigments for porcelain require high resistance against acid and alkali. Main colors include: concrete red, concrete green, concrete yellow, mineral yellow, ultramarine, mineral green, dark green, mineral red and smoky black. All colors are mixed with oxhide gelatin. These are primary colors, from which more colors are produced.

　　Other colors:

　　White: got through grinding the Grey Paste

　　Black: produced by mixing smoky black, oxhide gelatin and alcohol

　　Gold: foil

　　Three Approaches:

　　1. Flat porcelain: paint a layer of Valerian Mortar and outline with ultramarine and last glue with Sugar Lime. Paint Second-white Mortar in empty space first and then paint a second layer with colors. Since the surface of porcelains and painted space are both flat, a neat effect is obtained.

　　2. Semi-tridimensional porcelain /Mezzo-porcelain: paint a layer of Valerian Mortar and outline with ultramarine and mould flowers, animals and figures with Sugar Lime. Then paint with Big-white Mortar and colors (timing for painting colors need to be carefully controlled). Last glue the porcelain pieces together with Sugar Lime.

　　3. Tridimensional porcelain/basso-porcelain: Use tile, shard of red brick, Sugar Lime and Mapi Herb for the outline and then mould with Valerian Mortar and Sugar Lime. Glue the colored porcelains with Sugar Lime and last draw lines on the porcelains.

　　Chaozhou inlaid porcelain impresses viewers with its color durability and vitality in plastic arts. The colorful and attractive porcelain brings about aesthetic appreciation for people. As people think about the ancient architectures in Chaozhou region, inlaid porcelain would come to their mind.

　　Lu Zhigao

　　Jinhu Engineering Limited of Chao’an County