In this vibrant and innovative month of May, the School of Art and Design successfully held its annual traditional Chinese ceramics experience activity for international students. The event aimed to allow international students from around the world to deeply appreciate the charm of traditional Chinese culture through personal experience of the traditional ceramic art creation process, while promoting cultural exchange and integration between China and foreign countries.

At the beginning of the event, Ms. Zhang Ting from the School of Art and Design hosted the session and introduced the theme and purpose of the activity. She elaborated on the basic procedures and precautions of two traditional ceramic-making techniques—wheel-throwing and slip-casting, emphasizing the technical key points and cultural backgrounds in each step. She particularly pointed out that ceramic art is not only a display of craftsmanship but also an important medium for cultural exchange.

In the wheel-throwing session, each participant was given an appropriate amount of clay and, under the teacher's guidance, began the process from kneading the clay, shaping it, to trimming it. By operating the pottery wheel with their own hands, international students experienced the wonderful journey of transforming clay into exquisite vessels. Ms. Zhang walked around to each student from time to time, offering personalized guidance and technical support, and encouraging them to boldly try different shape designs.

In the slip-casting session, students selected their favorite plaster molds. After carefully preparing a suitable ceramic slurry for casting, they filled the molds with great care. After waiting for a while to let the plaster absorb the excess water, they gently poured out the remaining slurry and patiently waited for their works to take initial shape.

Throughout the entire process, international students not only immersed themselves in the joy of creation but also actively shared cultural elements from their own countries, skillfully integrating them into their work designs. At the end of the event, everyone showcased their ceramic artworks, shared their insights and experiences during the production process, and jointly discussed the development trends of ceramic culture and its value and significance in the context of globalization.

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This ceramic art experience activity not only deepened international students' understanding of traditional Chinese culture but also promoted cultural exchanges between Chinese and foreign students through the complete production process. After initially completing wheel-throwing and slip-casting, Ms. Zhang will guide the students in underglaze painting in the later stage, where they will use special pigments to paint their own cultural elements and personal ideas on the bisque. Subsequently, the works will undergo the first firing (bisque firing) to fix their shapes and colors, showing unique luster and texture. Some works will be further applied with transparent or colored glazes and undergo a second firing (glaze firing) to make the finished products more solid and beautiful.  

The entire process of the complete transformation from clay to porcelain allowed international students to personally experience the charm of traditional craftsmanship. These interactions not only improved their hands-on ability and artistic appreciation but also enhanced mutual understanding and friendship. This activity has laid a solid foundation for future cultural exchanges and cooperation. It is expected that these young artists will continue to inherit and develop the excellent traditional Chinese culture and promote it to the world stage.