My CIIE Story ? Great Opportunity: Strenuous efforts make perfect works

Editor's Note: The fifth China International Import Expo will open in less than 20 days. In October, several participants of the CIIE will tell their stories themed around "great opportunity" to showcase the positive changes the expo has made to the world and how it has helped build a community with a shared future for mankind over the past five years.

I studied at the Jingdezhen Ceramic University in Jingdezhen, a city famous for ceramics in East China's Jiangxi province, and now teach at the Ceramic Art School of the university.

I have designed two huge porcelain vases for the National Convention Center (Shanghai), where the opening ceremony of the CIIE is held, and this makes me so proud.

In 2020, the Jiangxi government was planning to present a gift to the CIIE to showcase the province's ceramic culture. My partners and I were assigned to prepare the gift and we decided to make a pair of vases.

The design for the vases was revised more than 10 times before the final version was determined. It then took a few months to make demos and bases. We made four bases, all with elaborate patterns carved on the surface, in case some of them failed during the firing process. Due to long working hours in hot weather, our artisans even suffered a heatstroke in August.

However, despite our good preparation, all four bases broke on the verge of success. It was impossible to complete the work before the third CIIE that year and we felt very disappointed.

In the spring of 2021, we made another six bases and first did a couple of tests with undecorated ones. Before the fourth CIIE, two perfect vases were finally produced.

Measuring 2.06 meters in height and 1.06 meters in width, the vases are orange red and have many golden patterns. The Pavilion of Prince Teng, a landmark in Jiangxi, is placed at the center of the scene, and various elements unique to the province, including the Poyang Lake and Jingang Mountains, are featured. The vases fit well with furnishings of the hall at the National Convention Center.

I had not expected that the creation of the two vases would require such a large amount of effort. We had carved a combined more than 70 square meters of delicate patterns on the vases – this process was certainly not easy.

I hope China's ceramic culture can amaze the world through the CIIE and that the world can better understand Chinese history and culture.