Research on Industrial Design of Ceramic Products in China

Introduction

The Chinese ceramic art is one of the most typical artistic features in the country with a very wide history. The Chinese ceramic ware shows interminable advancement since the pre-dynastic periods (Huang, 2012). According to Madsen & White (2017), the debate of Chinese export ceramics has in the recent past exceeded the conventional boundaries of art history into the purview of world history and economy. In particular, porcelain is being used significantly as a study model for worldwide studies in economics and history in reference to both consumer cultures and exchange networks. Today, the application of modern technology is of great importance to the development and production of modern product design, particularly the integration of modern product design and ceramic material characteristics to develop the cultural connotation and quality (Shuxin, 2018). Pierson (2012), argues that ceramic art in China has its cultural connotation, artistic quality, value, and charm, it requires contemporary artists and designers to adopt and advance its artistry without copying the all the features, but by combining them in skillful manner. For many years, Jingdezhen's workshops have the most coveted porcelain, fashioned from clay-made smooth by trained hands, fired in kilns and then exported globally (Gillette, 2016). The art pieces easily recognizable are jade-green celadon bowls and blue-and-white vases which were found in the courts of the French, Persians, and British.

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Research Questions

The following are the research questions:

• What is the role of Jingdezhen in ceramic cultural heritage, scientific and technological innovation of China?
• How has the traditional handicraft methods affected the innovation of ceramic innovations in Jingdezhen?
• What are the technological breakthroughs that have impacted the ceramics industrial design?

Research Objectives

The following are the research objectives:

• To understand the role of Jingdezhen in ceramic cultural heritage, scientific and technological innovation of China
• To gain insight on how the traditional handicraft methods affected the innovation of ceramic innovations in Jingdezhen
• To identify the technological breakthroughs that have impacted the ceramics industrial design.

Statement of Problem

Wu (2017) argues that the arts and crafts revival as a cultural doctrinal trend does not alter the inclination of advanced technology manufacturing. He further states that as a culture China has to safeguard and make full use of the latest innovations to develop the traditional production processes to adapt to the current demand. Traditional manual ceramic is a highly-valued property of Chinese culture, however, with the recent technological development, the industrial products gradually replaced the conventional manual ceramics (Wu, 2017). Therefore, in order to safeguard the traditional handmade artistry, it is important to adapt to the current requirements and development is an urgent requirement to production. The development of ceramic education is the basic power reform for ceramics industry and design innovation in Jingdezhen.

Literature Review

According to Yu (2018), porcelain ceramics is the core and foundation of Jingdezhen. Yu states that China has spread industrial civilization and the skills of porcelain makings to Europe, Korea, and Japan from 10th century. The Chinese government supports the organizations that are suitable for industrial production, and has introduced organizational and management framework assurance for Jingdezhen's innovative porcelain technology. Songjie, Shujing, & Xinghua, (2012) notes that Jingdezhen has abandoned numerous ground and underground conventional antiquity, and has further developed numerous large-scale ceramic production sites such as the Hutian kilns sites and the Royal porcelain Zhushan kiln factory, among many others (Songjie, et al., 2012). Notably, these sites serve as the historical witnesses of the Jingdezhen's porcelain production.

Today, the modern manufacturing for worldwide market tends to synthesize material culture via its divisive and centralized production (Zhana, Walkera, & RicardoHernandez-Pardoa, 2017). On the contrary, craft methods in most cases have a bold local identity through their utilization of community-centered production, context-based knowledge, holistic-production methods, as well as culturally specific responses (Zhana et al., 2017). Therefore, craft can be seen as intrinsically accordant with the sustainability perception, yet there remain difficulties and tensions. This means it is paramount to address the above to ensure that craft can credibly contribute sustainably to societal development. Gresoi & Protopopescu, (2012) concludes that the product design has a prospective to make a difference since it can offer useful and applicable answers to multidisciplinary problems.

When it comes to the technological breakthroughs that have impacted the ceramics industrial design, Bonnardel & Zenasni (2010) notes that crystallography and the more advanced knowledge obtained in regard to the production of engineered and advanced ceramics has been realized. Phase transformation toughening and PSZ (partially stabilized zirconia) is one of the major innovations of the century (Borik, Bublik, Kulebyakin, Lomonova, Milovich, Myzina, ... & Tabachkova, 2014). Notably, these developments altered how ceramic frameworks were seen as methods earlier applied to metals are now applied to ceramics. Additionally, the invention of the dripping machine has significantly contributed to the industrial design of ceramics ware in Jingdezhen (Dezeen, 2018) . The machine drips liquid earthenware or porcelain in a computerized manner to create a series of bowls and cups with different patterns and design.

Moreover, another innovation that has revolutionized production of ceramics ware in Jingdezhen is digital printing technology; it allows manufacturers to replicate wood or natural stone in performance, look, and feel (Lu , 2015). The final ware is therefore more affordable, durable, and easier to maintain. Lu (2015) further notes that the development of new technology reduces the kiln firing temperatures from 1,150 C to 850 C, thus reducing fuel bills significantly. For instance, the production of tiles now takes only a fraction of the normal firing time and at very significantly reduced temperatures. Therefore, the process speeds up production and cuts the energy bills which is a game changer in the field of ceramic manufacturing.

Significance of the Study

The present study on industrial design of ceramic products in Jingdezhen, China will help to understand the continuing evolution of the ceramics and the related materials innovations which is rapidly accelerating with each new technological development adding more data to the knowledge bank. Besides, it will be helpful for other researchers who might be interested in doing advanced research on the same topic. Moreover, the study hopes to highlight the superior material manufacturing technology and unique product attributes that are crucial to the success of advanced ceramics.

Research Methodology

The study will use a qualitative method to gain an understanding of the ceramic innovations and industrial design of ceramic products in Jingdezhen, China. This will provide insights to help in development of ideas or hypotheses for potential quantitative research. Methods of data collection will include focus groups (group discussions) as well as observations. The sample size is relatively small, and respondents will be chosen to fulfil a given ration.

References

Bonnardel, N., & Zenasni, F. (2010). The impact of technology on creativity in design: an enhancement? Creativity and innovation management, 19(2), 180-191.

Borik, M. A., Bublik, V. T., Kulebyakin, A. V., Lomonova, E. E., Milovich, F. O., Myzina, V. A., ... & Tabachkova, N. Y. (2014). Phase composition, structure and mechanical properties of PSZ (partially stabilized zirconia) crystals as a function of stabilizing impurity content. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 586, S231-S235.

Cordis. (2019). Physorg. Retrieved 13 August, 2019, from https://phys.org/news/2018-03-long-awaited-modernisation-ceramic-production-methods.html

Dezeen. (2018). Dezeen. Retrieved 13 August, 2019, from https://www.dezeen.com/2018/10/18/studio-joachim-morineau-dripping-machine-ceramic-design/

Gillette, M. B. (2016). China's Porcelain Capital: The Rise, Fall and Reinvention of Ceramics in Jingdezhen. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Gresoi, S., & Protopopescu, C. (2012). Analysis and Design an Industrial Product (Ceramics). International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2(9), 98-105.

Huang, E. C. (2012). From the imperial court to the international art market: Jingdezhen porcelain production as global visual culture. Journal of World History, 115-145.

Jaffe, B. (2012). Piezoelectric ceramics (Vol. 3). Elsevier.

Madsen, A. D., & White, C. (2017). Chinese export porcelains. Routledge.

Pierson, S. (2012). The movement of Chinese ceramics: appropriation in global history. Journal of World History, 23(1), 9-39.

Songjie, L., Shujing, W., & Xinghua, L. (2012). The Development of Jingdezhen in the View of Cultural Innovation. Studies in Sociology of Science, 3(4), 45.

Shuxin, W. (2018, March). The Integration Method of Ceramic Arts in the Product Design. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 317, No. 1, p. 012051). IOP Publishing.

Wu, X. M. (2017, January). Ceramic education transformation and drive porcelain art design innovation and development. In 2016 2nd International Conference on Economics, Management Engineering and Education Technology (ICEMEET 2016). Atlantis Press.

Yu, X. (2018). The roles of Jingdezhen in the ceramic culture heritage and scientific and technological innovation of China. Materialy Ceramiczne/Ceramic Materials, 70(2), 186-193.

Zhana, X., Walkera, S., & RicardoHernandez-Pardoa, M. E. (2017). Craft and Sustainability: Potential for Design Intervention in Crafts in the Yangtze River Delta, China.