Kaolin,
Petunse, Feldspar and Quartz
All articles and photographies by Indrani Lukomski.
Beijing's Forbidden City.
"China" and the five abstract letters that staple
most of the products we handle daily. The Chinese controversy, the Chinese
fear, the Chinese mystery of an immense land, rich history and powerful
influence.
Detail of railings in the Palaces of Beijing's Forbidden City.
I grew up in Singapore and, although I was in an International school, witnessed the south-east Asian culture in a city-state where 76% of the population is of Chinese descent. My interest in anthropology is a result of experiencing Singapore's difficult transition between a traditional concept of culture and the modern notion of globalization. For example, when I was small I used to ride horses through a Chinese traditional forest cemetery: it is now a metro station. Everyday the island loses a little more of its cultural/historical heritage, a reality that I find truly distressing. Singapore is a high-speed train launched on the tracks of modernization; China however, is still in the process of emerging and opening itself to the world. This huge country with an untouched center is struggling with modernization and building upon a troubled past while having to acknowledge the importance of cultural identity. I am particularly interested in the use of heritage for product development regarding the preservation of ethnic minority cultures. I have also taken a recent interest in one of the biggest challenges of our globalized era: the loss of fully half of humanity's social, cultural and intellectual legacy, languages. "Language Death", particularly evocative of China's current situation, is a great issue in both linguistics and anthropology. This also justifies my determination to master the Han language in order to understand and look deeper into its linguistics.
Learning Mandarin has always been close
to my heart and this constantly motivated me to put more effort into my
studies. Such a drive would be the result of a childhood in Singapore, where
the Montessori School I attended (age three to five) had us draw traditional
Mandarin characters to keep our minds occupied in a smart way. Having
spent the first eight years of my life in Asia, studying Chinese is part of my
cultural identity and I find learning the language rewarding on a personal basis:
because my work resonates with my experience it is more meaningful. More than a
connection to my origins, Chinese also reinforces my admiration for the asian
language and culture. Starting Chinese has been a revelation since it enabled
my passion in Anthropology and linguistics to coincide with my dedication to
Asian studies. I am captivated by the power of languages and believe Chinese is
a perfect example. Indeed, my multilingualism (I speak and write four
languages), allows me to see the true difference between Chinese and other
languages: calligraphy. I love History of Art and the more I learn about
traditional Chinese art I find it particularly evocative as a testimony to
Chinese culture and history. Calligraphy is an important component of this art
and learning Han characters therefore embodies for me a direct gateway into
China: I see the complexity of the language and vocabulary as a reflection of
the country's rich cultural array. When learning a new character I always have
fun comparing the simplified and traditional versions. As I analyze their
evolution through time, I recognize in Linguistics a powerful form of history.
My professional interest in the field was recently confirmed by my enthrallment
for the works of anthropologists such as Claude Lévi-Strauss or Wade Davis. The
latter, in his work The Wayfinders, has a saying that in my opinion is in
complete syntony with my approach to the Chinese language "a language is
the vehicle by which the soul of each particular culture comes into the
material world". Indeed Chinese has never been homework to me, but rather
a pleasure… and an escape. I feel very peaceful as I trace characters, for
their study seems to transport me 6,000 miles away, to Southeast Asia. If I am
ready to invest so much time and energy in learning the language it is because
my desire to become an anthropologist has married my interest in China.
Fortune Telling (Suan ming) in Beijing's Hutongs.
I have created a fascination around
China without ever experiencing it directly. The two above paragraphs are
extracts from my application to earn a fellowship for a two month study of
Mandarin in Beijing. And I am now writing these lines from a Hotel accross from
the Beijing University of International Business and Economics. I will be
participating in Duke's study in Beijing Program thanks to the Richard U. Light
Fellowship at Yale University, where I just finished my Freshman year as a
French International student.
At last I meet my virtual friend.
This voyage comes at the end of, first
a lengthy anticipation and old admiration, but also it is the suite to an intricate first year in University and in my growth in general. The last months
have been a turmoil of questioning my surroundings and above all the choices I
have made and am making. Recently, under the pressure of integration to my new
american/university life environment I have had to define my values in order to
adapt without changing. But what are my values? And how to follow them without
imposing them while all along staying authentic and resisting to the general
wave? My Freshman year was a firework of extremes, with a first and second
semester radically opposed. June, July and August away from a mountain of
readings, writings, problems and suffocating daily rush, I am taking my summer
to find a balance, and hopefully on the way, to find myself.
Through everything China represents for
me, my quest could not be better lead anywhere else than in Beijing's winding
Hutongs.
Busy streets, shops and cafés by the Houhai Lake, Central Beijing.
As a basis, these two months should
confirm, or disprove the firmness of my interest in China, or in foreign
cultures and anthropology in general.
My expectations, preconceptions and the opinion I have of China will be
confronted to reality and in the game my own values will be provoked. It is for
me to learn how to go further and try to understand the causes and explanations
to cultural barriers. Only in this way can I see my maturity crossing paths
with the ability to interact accordingly with China and embark on an adventure
of honest learning and discovery.
Burning incense (xiangbang) at a Chinese temple.
A young man does an offering at the Yonghe Lamasery, a Tibetan Buddhist Temple.
This is a good gateway into explaining
the title for this Travel Blog.
In English we sometimes refer to
porcelain as “china”. Chinese pottery dates back to more than 18,000 years ago
and was exported to Europe since there porcelain craft was unknown until the
late 17th century. “china” is one of China’s oldest masteries and
has became a staple of its refined heritage.
However, this fine, delicate and smooth
item of luxury is essentially composed of Kaolin, a rough and rudimentary
clay mineral. And somewhere in the recipe, with the Kaolin and some other stones,
the last and certainly most precious ingredient is Quartz Crystal.
Kaolin and Quartz. Two particularly
opposed ingredients that create the mystery of “china”, unknown and
incomprehensible to the occident for such a long time. The rough and delicate: complimentary to a rich product/heritage.
The Emperor of China usually used the dragon as a symbol of his imperial power.
Detail of plunging roofs at the Yonghe Lamasery Temple.
And indeed, isn’t China, the country, the culture and the history a strong and severe spirit with rough conditions that somehow is parent to one of the greatest civilizations with the earliest Renaissance? There is so much to understand behind the surface, so many complexities, so many mysteries and wonders. It is what I felt walking through the Yale Art Gallery’s magnificent collection of Chinese porcelain. The charge of a cultural heritage and a story in every crack and pattern. Seeing how such a rough material gave something so precious and fragile.
And talking about fragility, let us not
forget how China has become branded. And maybe how “china” the porcelain has
become a globalized product with the dangers of China throwing its heritage
onto the Global market... yet again a brand mark of my generation?!
A "Coffe and Tea" chain integrates the Forbidden City despite preservation protocols.
All of this will motivate my observations and reflections throughout my blogging, which will will always echo upon this introduction and the process I have just exposed.
A woman relaxes in one of Yonghe Temple's peaceful courtyards.
I also hope this blog will be a platform for interaction between Occidental and Chinese Bloggers. I would really hope to exchange experiences and opinions and engage in conversations, maybe even debates, in the commentary section.
Hutong view of Children playing.
Nanluoguxiang Hutong.
Being an old porcelain maker I thought I would attempt a brief clarification on the complex sounding issue of Porcelain. Regardless of what you call the rocks and clay that go into a typical porcelain mix, the final chemistry will usually approximate:
ReplyDelete70%Silica(25-30% as quartz),
25%Alumina, and
4-5% Alkali.
The Alkali content determines the melting and firing temperature. The Quartz's main role is to increase the Thermal contraction during cooling so that most glazes have a chance of fitting the pot. The clay's total surface area is the biggest determinate of how plastic it will be.