Biography

Sun Jianxing (孙建兴), born October 25, 1952 in Quanzhou, Fujian, is a ceramic researcher and China Arts & Crafts Master whose career is central to the modern restoration of Jian ware. He began ceramic research in 1972 and in 1979 joined the organized effort to recover the lost materials and firing methods of historic Jian kiln production.

Restoring Jian Ware

Working with the Fujian light-industry research system and Jianyang ceramic production, Sun participated in extensive experiments with local clay, mineral glazes, firing temperature and kiln atmosphere. His research contributed to the successful modern recovery of hare’s-fur and oil-spot Jian ware and expanded into partridge spot, Yaobian and numerous later glaze families.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage

Sun is the nationally recognized representative inheritor for Jian kiln/Jian Zhan firing technique (建窑建盏烧制技艺), national intangible cultural heritage project VIII-188, inheritor number 04-1918. This national appointment is distinct from the municipal and district-level inheritor titles held by many other contemporary Jian Zhan artists.

Glaze Research & Works

Sun developed more than thirty Jian Zhan glaze types, including gold hare’s fur, gold oil spot and partridge spot. His broader body of work includes black glaze, multiple hare’s-fur and oil-spot variants, iron-rust, yellow Tenmoku, wood-leaf, tortoiseshell, persimmon-red and Yaobian-related surfaces.

Collections & Recognition

The National Museum of China holds 仿宋建窑油滴天目盏, 仿宋建窑兔毫天目盏 and 油滴天目龙虎茶具. The China Arts & Crafts Museum holds 曜变天目茶碗 and 油滴天目茶碗. His restored Song-style Jian ware received a Fujian Provincial Science and Technology Progress second prize in 1995.

Research, Teaching & Transmission

Sun founded a Jian kiln ceramic research institute, has published research including 《建窑系列建盏恢复研究》, and has presented work and papers in China and abroad. His teaching and transmission extend to multiple later makers. His daughter Sun Li (孙莉) is a Fujian provincial representative inheritor and arts-and-crafts master in her own right.

Marks & Identification

Because Sun Jianxing’s career spans decades and many glaze families, individual works are best identified through the complete combination of mark, foot, form, certificate, presentation material and documented series.

References