Celadon pottery master salutes Asian Games

Yue kiln master Shi Zhen has created a celadon jar — a green glazed pottery work called the Beach Volleyball Sea Pattern Jar — to express her best wishes for the upcoming Asian Games, bring old skills back to modern life and have more people appreciate its charm.

The jar was on display at the Shangyue Ceramics Institute in Cixi, a county-level city in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. Cixi is famed for its celadon culture and is home to a cluster of Yue kiln archaeological sites.

Ningbo will host beach volleyball and sailing competitions during the Asian Games.

Hearing the news, Shi was excited and decided to grasp the opportunity to bring celadon art to the international stage.

She added that the work combines Ningbo's marine culture with the Asian Games, depicting a beach volleyball competition with waves on both sides to show the fighting spirit of all the athletes.

The jar was decorated by athletes in action during the competition, including digging, serving and smashing volleyballs.

The jar is 24 centimeters high and 28.5 centimeters wide. It took Shi nearly half a year to finish it.

The Yue kilns at Shanglin Lake produced celadon pottery for more than a millennium. Celadon has become part of the identity of Cixi, whose city logo features a porcelain vase.

Fang Xiaoying in Hangzhou contributed to this story.