A few days ago, I saw a fascinating documentary on Chouzhou (or Teochew) culture after watching a news report on CCTV. There was a segment on ceramic works. Ceramics have been produced in Chaozhou since the Tang and Song dynasties. I am glad to share a set of delicate ceramic teapots and cups and a flower vase acquired some years ago when a large-scale exhibition and sale of Chouzhou ceramic works was held in Singapore for the first time.
Besides making home utility items like teapots and cups, complete dining sets, vases, various containers, pots for plants, and decorative figurines gilded with gold, Chaozhou ceramic producers and artisans also decorate traditional old-style buildings and temples with ceramic art.
Many temples have heavily ornamented roofs decorated with highly detailed sculptural reliefs. These figures depict famous Chinese legends, styled like scenes from Teochew opera. These figures were created using a traditional technique called cut-and-paste porcelain shard work (Qianci嵌瓷), a distinct Chaozhou art form. Porcelain pieces in a collage of colours were cut to size and pasted onto the plastered figurines, providing a glazed sheen that gives a smooth and vibrant aesthetic. Please enjoy some views of these fantastic ceramic works of art I captured on camera.
Tan It Koon
Before retirement, Dr Tan It Koon was, among many appointments, Head of Clinical Biochemistry at SGH’s Dept of Pathology. He was the Deputy Chairman of the National Theatre Trust and Chairman for Grants and Scholarships of the Spore Cultural Foundation. He received the National Day Awards, PBM, and PPA, for his contribution to cultural and community development and excellence in Public Administration.
