Author | Jiang Xingguo
China's economy is in an era of great change.
The same is true for our ceramic industry.
As a millennium porcelain capital, Jingdezhen is also actively looking for ideas in terms of economic growth, transformation and upgrading.
However, a series of questions faced local officials: What is the potential for Jingdezhen’s development? How can the sign of being a pottery capital for thousands of years become brighter and brighter? Was the industrial policy implemented by Jingdezhen in the past a success or a failure? What is the basis for formulating future industrial policies in Jingdezhen? How to start? What issues need attention? Systematically answering the above questions is of extremely important significance for the current development of Jingdezhen ceramic industry.
Since the reform and opening up, our country's economy has made amazing achievements, but its industrial policy is still lackluster. Either a lot of resources will be wasted and nothing will happen; or a swarm of bees will cause excess in the entire industry in a short period of time.
An example of the former is that in response to the "mass innovation and entrepreneurship" advocated by the central government, local governments are now setting up business incubators, high-tech industrial parks and industrial guidance funds. Factor endowments and comparative advantages vary widely across regions, but if we have to walk the same single-plank bridge and engage in innovation in a dynamic manner, it is difficult to avoid wasting resources.
An example of the latter is the photovoltaic industry, where the problem of overcapacity has become very prominent. China has now become the world's largest photovoltaic producer and user. But without government subsidies, the vast majority of photovoltaic companies would still not be able to cover their own profits and losses.
How does the government promote the development of the industry? How does the government guide the development of the industry? This is for the people in power in Jingdezhen. It is a problem that has to be faced. Because Foshan, which is also a ceramic production area, has been at the forefront of ceramic production areas in the country.
01. Humanistic value needs to be deeply explored
The author visited Jingdezhen for several days in 2011. There are two things that impressed me deeply: First, the airport, in the terminal building, is all made of porcelain. This should be the first airport in China that specializes in selling porcelain. Second, there are many masters of ceramic art in Jingdezhen, and craftsmen are everywhere. Give them any work and they can make it look real.
The ceramic culture represented by Jingdezhen is the epitome of the entire Chinese culture. It is the cultural inheritance and reconstruction with ceramics as the carrier. It is through ceramics that Chinese culture is spread to the world, and the world also gets to know China better because of ceramics. .
Some scholars believe that the boundary reached by Chinese ceramics is the boundary of Chinese cultural influence. No matter how extensive and profound Chinese culture is, it will be difficult to go abroad without the transformation of ceramics. In the large number of physical cultural objects that have survived, we can see various cultural contexts such as royal culture, farming culture, historical culture, religious culture, folk culture, family culture, elite culture, etc. It is not at all an encyclopedia of Chinese culture. Too much.
Jingdezhen is the most representative Chinese cultural symbol and is recognized by the world based on the comprehensive judgment of cultural creativity, uniqueness, dissemination, appreciation, practicality, collection, identity and other indicators. Cultural brand. In this sense, Jingdezhen's cultural intangible assets are far greater than its tangible assets, and it is China's cultural treasure house with the most commercial development value.
"Craftsmen come from all directions, and their utensils spread all over the world" and "Using utensils to carry the Tao, using porcelain to promote literature, using craftsmen to establish the world, and using virtue to convince people" are the humanistic values of Jingdezhen.
Jingdezhen is the hometown of ceramics and is known as the capital of porcelain.
From the discovery, application and naming of porcelain clay, it has been deeply marked with Jingdezhen’s geographical indication - kaolin.
Due to the providence of God, the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire and earth that gave birth to ceramics are concentrated around Jingdezhen. Coupled with the mastery of high-temperature technology and the unique worship of jade culture in China, the birth of ceramics It changed from chance to necessity. The people of Jingdezhen used their hard-working hands, intelligent brains and broad minds to create exquisite porcelain in a remote and barbaric land and conquered the world, and thus won the honor of being titled by the emperor.
The establishment of Wupin County Government, the construction of imperial kilns and the establishment of the pottery supervisor system fully demonstrate the historical status of Jingdezhen.
The famous scholar Wang Luxiang once said that Jingdezhen ceramics is China's first world-class product. It is the most successful case of China's commodity export and cultural export. It is the birthplace and main force of the ancient Silk Road. To be precise, the origin of the land and water porcelain tea road is Jingdezhen. Porcelain is popular all over the world, tea is exported, and civilizations learn from each other. Once upon a time, Europe, which was rich in silver mines, had a silver shortage because of its love for ceramics. The huge trade deficit paved the way for the Opium War.
Another major contribution of Jingdezhen is that it has played an important role in the evolution of human civilization and the historical process. Whether it is British afternoon tea, meal sharing system, or cultural dissemination and investment collection, Jingdezhen has made great achievements. The seventy-two processes of division of labor and collaboration with the workshop as the core played a midwife role in the birth of industrial civilization.
The construction of characteristic towns that is now booming can be traced back to its origins. Jingdezhen is the originator. It has cultural gathering, industrial support, ecological utilization, royal naming, world recognition, and porcelain to represent the country. No one can compare. Jingdezhen is well-deserved the best town in the world!
The fire in the kiln never goes out for thousands of years, and history and humanity are everywhere. Jingdezhen’s historical value is unique.
02. The ecological environment needs to be protected
Jingdezhen is located in the transition zone between Huangshan Mountain, the remnants of Huaiyu Mountain and the Poyang Lake Plain. It is a typical red soil hilly area in the south of the Yangtze River. The mountainous area has obvious characteristics and is rich in forest resources. The forest coverage rate reaches more than 70%, of which Fuliang County has a forest coverage rate of 81.4%, and the water quality compliance rate of various water sources reaches 100%. The vegetation type is dominated by subtropical evergreen broad-leaved trees. The main tree species include fir, masson pine, slash pine, etc., which have been the main raw materials for porcelain for thousands of years.
The natural scenery is very similar to the Fuchun Mountain Dwelling Picture. The mother river of Jingdezhen, Changjiang itself, has a beautiful historical legend with the Fuchun River. Not to mention that the water system is connected and the scenery is similar, it is said that the name of Fuchun River is also related to Fuchun Village in Jingdezhen.
The unique natural environment has created a unique natural endowment, which is green ecology. However, Jingdezhen somehow missed the last round of urbanization and industrialization process, which happened to protect this piece of green mountains and green waters. Now it has become the most precious wealth. It is another bright green business card of Jingdezhen. In the future, the development of Chinese society and even the entire human society will not only follow the path of industrialization and urbanization. Cultural tourism that meets the higher needs of the people will become popular. Jingdezhen’s natural advantages are becoming increasingly prominent. The project was initially completed, and the fresh and beautiful Jingdezhen appeared to the world like a Lingbo fairy.
Nature is the most beautiful environment, nature is the most scarce resource, and nature is the most precious wealth. At this moment, green waters and green mountains are invaluable assets. Jingdezhen’s ecological and environmental advantages have become another important reason for investors to be optimistic about Jingdezhen.
ChasingIn the era of seeking GDP, local governments mainly focus on the realization of tangible values (land, minerals, infrastructure, industrial output, etc.), and achieve the reorganization and transformation of material wealth. This is a development model with a ceiling, and it is also unsustainable. With the development of the economy and material abundance, in order to satisfy the people's growing yearning for a better life, it is necessary to increase the value development of intangible assets, such as culture, ecology, safety and other spiritual and health needs, in order to enhance the people's The happiness of the masses. The mode of production has also undergone fundamental changes, that is, from simple material processing to a dual value medium of material plus spirit, which is a structural reform centered on the supply side.
03. The porcelain industry needs strategy
Jingdezhen is famous all over the world for its porcelain, and Jingdezhen is also notorious domestically for its porcelain.
Setting up street stalls to sell Jingdezhen porcelain on a large scale year after year has turned Jingdezhen porcelain into a low-end product.
I don’t know how much money those who came to set up stalls made, but before they left, they priced the Jingdezhen porcelain very low because of factors such as the labor and freight required to transport the porcelain back to Jingdezhen. Very low, most of them are far below the cost, and some people even smashed a small part of the porcelain.
"In the summer of 2018, on the streets of Jingdezhen, a model of a sixth-tier town appeared: dilapidated and potholed main roads, cramped and dirty streets, garbage everywhere on the ground, and disorderly air. Cables, dilapidated city walls, and clusters of shantytowns... The dilapidation of this city can easily disillusion first-time visitors with their vision of ceramic art, and it also creates a sense of absurdity in its positioning as a "city in dialogue with the world." In the past 10 years, absurdity and disillusionment have alternated in this prefecture-level city known as the "Porcelain Capital".
This is the introduction to a 2018 China Economic Weekly report on Jingdezhen porcelain.
Between 2008 and 2013, the Jingdezhen art ceramics market experienced unprecedented prosperity. At that time, both the master's studio and the collector's collection can be described as "busy": businessmen and celebrities from all over the country lined up here to wait to pay. Today, this grand occasion is gone forever. Jingdezhen Lotus Sugar Street was originally a street dedicated to the works of ceramic masters. When it was most popular, it was hard to find a shop. Nowadays, art ceramics have been withdrawn one after another, and Lotus Sugar Street has become a grocery street. Walking on the streets of Jingdezhen, you can see a large number of closed ceramics stores everywhere, even if they are open in small quantitiesThe stores in the store are also empty and business is bleak. Whether in its glory days or in its recession, the government has always ignored and ignored this industry.
In fact, among all ceramic producing areas, only Jingdezhen has Jingdezhen Ceramics University. It is the Whampoa Military Academy for talents in the ceramic industry. But most of these students came to Foshan. Because there is no retention policy in Jingdezhen.
The government should formulate a development strategy for the porcelain industry to give artists and the industry chain a direction and guidance. Continuously promote the development of this industry, and only in this way can Jingdezhen have greater possibilities.
Jingdezhen’s intangible assets are far greater than its tangible assets. It is an inexhaustible treasure house of wealth and is also the core value that distinguishes Jingdezhen from other places. In the new historical period, the times have pushed Jingdezhen to the forefront again. Is it to remain conservative or to become a phoenix? Should we continue to follow suit, or lead with innovation? Jingdezhen can only choose the latter, which is determined by its resource endowment, cultural inheritance, historical accumulation and urban character! Jingdezhen holds a number of good cards that no one else has. Let us wait and see how to achieve value transformation, economic transformation and kinetic energy transformation!
