From Craft Guilds to Academic Discipline: The Paradigm Shift in Ceramic Education of Modern Jingdezhen

Abstract

The rapid development of ceramic education in Jingdezhen during the modern period can be attributed to the following three factors. First, in the early modern era, a group of ceramic practitioners influenced by Western thought demonstrated a strong sense of national responsibility and a keen insight into social transformation. They recognized that national revitalization must be driven by economic development, which in turn relied on talent cultivation. As a result, they actively engaged in establishing new schools with the mission of saving the nation from crisis. Second, the local government of Jingdezhen provided strong support for the establishment of these new schools, offering relatively robust political guarantees. Third, after the imperial kiln was shut down, a number of highly skilled craftsmen dispersed among the populace. The Jingdezhen Ceramic Industry School hired these artisans as instructors, providing high-level technical expertise for practical courses on ceramic production techniques, thereby facilitating the preservation and development of traditional porcelain-making crafts.