Lyu Pinchang
Founder and Chief Planner of theJingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale
Chief Expert of a Major National Social Science Fund Project in Art Studies
Chair, Public Art Committee, China Artists Association
Chairman, Jiangxi Artists Association
Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, Jingdezhen Ceramic University and Central Academy of Fine Arts
Interview Notes：
Lyu Pinchang is the initiator of the ceramic “mountain-building movement.”
A conversation with him goes far beyond the birth of a single exhibition—it directly confronts one of the most urgent questions of our time：
How can a major ceramic civilization reconstruct its core cultural symbols and international discourse power in a contemporary context?
TheJingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennalestands at the heart of this mission. It is not only a platform for “inviting the world in,” but also bears the deeper responsibility of shaping the aesthetic direction, theoretical framework, and value system of contemporary Chinese ceramic art. From “creators” to “leaders,” this generation of ceramic artists—those who personally experienced China’s Reform and Opening-up—have collectively and consciously advanced the construction of Chinese ceramic culture, positioning ceramics as a vital medium for expressing the spirit of contemporary China.
Within the grand narrative of national cultural rejuvenation, the Biennale functions as a platform for revitalizing tradition, an engine for academic leadership, and a cultural bridge connecting China with the world through ceramics. This “mountain-building movement,” with porcelain as its medium, is helping to construct a sustainable and vital cultural paradigm for the world—allowing Chinese ceramic culture to speak in a contemporary, academic, and international language, and to earn global attention and respect.
Q: Yu Lingna
A: Lyu Pinchang
Q：As a scholar and artist deeply engaged in ceramic art for decades, you had already established great influence and prestige at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Why, in 2020, did you choose to leave CAFA, come to Jingdezhen Ceramic University to take on administrative leadership, and initiate the first Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale? From a highly accomplished sculptor to the initiator of a “mountain-building movement” that seeks to articulate China’s ceramic discourse—was there a stronger sense of mission behind this decision?
A：It was indeed a decision that required courage and self-persuasion. Approaching sixty, an age when many would choose a quieter life and prepare for retirement, I was invited by Jiangxi Province to transfer from CAFA. At that time, President Fan Di’an spoke to me and said: life is short—if, while one still possesses certain resources and discursive influence, one can realize unfinished aspirations and contribute more to society, then choosing the “greater self” over the “smaller self” is a more meaningful path. His words deeply moved me. Ultimately, I chose social value over personal comfort.
For some time before that, I had felt a lingering sense of confusion and regret. With only two years left before retirement, why did I still feel something missing? I realized this sense of lack did not stem from personal ambition, but from my commitment to the field of art itself.
My twenty-five years at CAFA broadened my horizons and allowed me to participate in major international and domestic academic events. At the same time, I became acutely aware of the position—and the gap—of Chinese ceramic culture in the contemporary world. China is a great ceramic nation, with the most brilliant history and the richest resources. Yet I observed that our artists often had to travel abroad to seek international platforms. Why, on our own soil, was there no sustained, rule-setting academic platform capable of attracting the world to come and engage? This cultural unease had long been buried in my heart. When the opportunity and external impetus arrived, I realized that perhaps I could attempt to change this reality—to build a platform that should exist but was still absent. This became a powerful inner motivation.
Q：This motivation seems closely tied to your generation’s sense of responsibility toward China’s cultural construction. As artists born in the 1960s, you witnessed and participated in forty critical years of modern and contemporary ceramic development. The absence of platforms and discourse power fostered a strong collective consciousness. Was the Biennale your response when you finally had the ability to effect change?
A：Yes. This was never about personal preference orambition, but about a historically grounded collective consciousness—a sense of responsibility rooted in ceramic culture.
Our generation has lived through decades of fluctuations in the ceramic field. We share a deep sense of “unwillingness”—unwilling to remain merely “athletes” on the field, forever participating under rules defined by others. We aspired to become builders, even rule-makers, striving to reclaim rightful evaluation power and discourse authority for Chinese ceramics within the contemporary global cultural landscape. This is a profound emotion that merges national sentiment, professional responsibility, and the ideal of cultural rejuvenation.
Growing alongside China’s Reform and Opening-up, we possess a unique “forty-year observational perspective.” We are not only creators, but witnesses, participants, and thinkers. We see that while China is rich in production capacity, craftsmanship, and historical resources, it is often “voiceless” in contemporary cultural expression and international academic discourse.
Now, after long observation and reflection, we believe the time has come to speak in our own voice—to shift from passive participation to active construction, and to establish a new discourse system and cultural narrative for contemporary Chinese ceramics that can truly dialogue with the world.
Q：What, then, is the fundamental footing and higher goal of contemporary ceramic cultural construction?
A：At the most immediate level, it is about addressing the core issues of modern and contemporary Chinese ceramics: aesthetic orientation, theoretical framework, educational systems, and value standards. But we cannot stop there. We must elevate this discussion to a broader cultural dimension. Within the grand project of contemporary Chinese cultural construction, what role should ceramics play? Can it transcend the traditional label of “craft” and become a significant medium for expressing contemporary Chinese spirit, philosophy, and aesthetics? Our work must be situated at this level—thinking about how ceramics can contribute unique strength to national cultural rejuvenation.
Q：What roles does the Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale play in this process?
A：The Biennale is not merely an art event; it is a cultural symbol and a strategic fulcrum. It represents the establishment of an international, academic, communicative, and sustainable platform for Chinese ceramic art with real cultural projection. At the same time, it serves as a strategic engine for advancing the university’s overall development, uniting diverse forces, and supporting the construction of the Jingdezhen National Ceramic Culture Inheritance and Innovation Pilot Zone.
Through the Biennale, I hope to demonstrate that we can not only “go out,” but also “invite in” as hosts—repositioning Jingdezhen at the center of global ceramic dialogue. This was my opening move in this new role, and a solemn fulfillment of a personal commitment.
Through the Biennale, we safeguard ceramic cultural genes, build a platform for “revitalized tradition and contemporary expression,” adhere to academic leadership, empower urban development, and cultivate a cultural IP that integrates art, industry, and tourism. Behind all this is a conscious mission: to contribute, within my capacity, to the inheritance, innovation, and international communication of Chinese ceramic art.
Q：From its very beginning, the Biennale established a high cultural and academic positioning, and the first edition already received recognition at the international level. In your view, how did it manage to build international influence in such a relatively short period of time?
A：Prior to this, I had served as a juror for several international ceramic exhibitions. Especially in recent years, I observed that some international ceramic “biennales” have been gradually shrinking in scale. Whether in terms of exhibition space, number of works, or the physical scale of the exhibits, many have become rather constrained, with correspondingly limited influence and reach.
By contrast, theJingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennalebenefits from ideal and professionally designed exhibition spaces. This allows the Biennale not only to accommodate a larger number of selected works, but also to offer greater freedom in scale and presentation. Each work receives the respect it deserves, while the exhibition as a whole demonstrates China’s sense of responsibility and broad vision in hosting large-scale international academic exhibitions.
Upon entering the galleries and encountering such a rich array of high-quality works, professionals from many quarters—including the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC)—have expressed strong recognition of the Biennale’s academic standards and exhibition quality.
It can be said that our starting point was very high. From the outset, we remained firmly committed to cultural depth and academic rigor, with the goal of building a platform that would be genuinely recognized by the professional field.
A major exhibition requires substantial investment and support, and among all factors, the most critical is the renovation and upgrading of exhibition venues. An international exhibition platform must be backed by exhibition spaces of sufficient quality. In the Spring Festival period of 2021, the university immediately initiated the fundamental renovation of this art museum. The process indeed involved overcoming many difficulties—especially pressures related to funding and time. Ultimately, this museum, with a total area of approximately 30,000 square meters, was fully renovated within one year, laying a solid foundation for the successful launch of the first Biennale.
The preparation of the first Biennale coincided with the pandemic, making every stage of the process particularly challenging. Yet, somewhat unexpectedly, everything progressed with remarkable smoothness—from the open call and preliminary selection, to the final review and the opening ceremony. It felt as though the entire process was being propelled by an invisible force, unfolding at just the right pace.
Looking back on this journey, I am deeply aware that what drove me forward was an inner sense of responsibility and mission. I knew very clearly that it was this mission that brought me to Jingdezhen—to advance an undertaking of multiple layers of significance. It not only contributes to the construction of the Jingdezhen National Ceramic Culture Inheritance and Innovation Pilot Zone, and to the discipline development and talent cultivation of Jingdezhen Ceramic University, but also bears directly on the building of platforms for Chinese ceramic culture and its international communication.
Q：In the process of building the Biennale’s academic influence and public credibility, did you encounter misunderstandings from the outside or experience any regrets? How do you view these voices?
A：Yes, there were indeed such moments. They mainly stemmed from differences between distinct cognitive and value systems, as well as from the inherent limitations of the evaluation mechanism itself.
Some colleagues in the traditional handicraft field find it difficult to fully understand more conceptually driven, forward-looking works. This is quite normal, as it reflects the systemic differences between arts-and-crafts traditions and contemporary academic ceramic art.
There were also concerns raised by a small number of members of the International Academy of Ceramics regarding what they perceived as a low proportion of female jurors. In fact, this was a misunderstanding—the organizing committee has placed great emphasis on gender balance and has genuinely implemented measures to ensure the participation and recognition of female jurors.
The more substantive regret lies in the limitations of the judging mechanism. In order to ensure fairness and impartiality, we—like many large exhibitions in China—determine results based on jurors’ votes. However, the value of art can never be fully defined by vote counts alone. Some highly pioneering works, which are not part of the “greatest common denominator,” are therefore more likely to be excluded.
In many major international awards, in-depth discussion sessions are used to build consensus. In the domestic context, however, introducing such discussions can easily be misunderstood as “guidance” or directional interference. In order to safeguard the Biennale’s credibility and ensure the smooth advancement of the project, we have had to maintain the existing mechanism. This is a “regret” we must accept for the sake of procedural correctness.
Q：FromThe Spirit of CeramicstoThe Journey of Ceramicsand now toThe Future of Ceramics, the themes of the Biennale seem to form a clear internal progression. How do you understand this thematic evolution?
A：This progression is by no means accidental. It reflects a path of thinking that moves from cultural self-awareness to historical consciousness, and finally toward future-oriented construction.
The Spirit of Ceramicsfocused on cultural identity—on asking who we are and what ceramics mean within Chinese civilization.The Journey of Ceramicsexpanded this inquiry into a historical and global dimension, tracing how ceramics have traveled across regions, civilizations, and time, shaping a shared human experience.The Future of Ceramicsrepresents a further step: it is no longer about looking back, but about projecting forward—about how ceramics can actively participate in shaping the future world.
This future is not limited to technological innovation. It also involves questions of values, ecology, ethics, education, and cultural imagination. What kind of future do we want ceramics to help articulate? This is the deeper question behind the theme.
Q：You have emphasized that building a strong brand requires sustained, long-term effort. Now that the Biennale has reached its third edition, what do you see as the most critical core that must be consolidated to ensure the brand’s sustainable development?
A：For the sustainable development of the Biennale as a brand, the most essential core—both now and in the future—is to uphold academic rigor while maintaining openness and inclusivity.
To safeguard the academic core means consistently adhering to high-level scholarly aspirations and ensuring the exhibition’s forward-looking vision, intellectual depth, and professional standards. This is the fundamental basis on which the brand earns lasting respect. At the same time, an open mindset is indispensable. Even as we gain a certain degree of discourse power and take hold of the “microphone” in global ceramic culture, we must remain vigilant against becoming inward-looking or complacent. It is essential to actively embrace diverse artistic expressions from different regions and cultures, and to absorb outstanding achievements from around the world.
The ideal state of a cultural brand lies in finding a golden balance betweentradition and modernity, and between the local and the international—revitalizing tradition through contemporary academic and industrial logic, while achieving two-way empowerment through an open and inclusive framework. Ultimately, this leads to a condition of“shared beauty and collective growth.”Only in this way can the brand move forward steadily and over the long term, and truly become a cultural platform with global influence.
Q：The Biennale has adjusted its schedule to coincide with the 52nd International Ceramic Congress in 2026. What strategic significance do you see in staging these two major events side by side for enhancing China’s discursive presence in global ceramic culture?
A：This proactive adjustment of the schedule represents a strategic resonance that seizes a historic opportunity. By riding the momentum of the International Ceramic Congress, we aim to elevate the Biennale’s influence to a new level.
The concurrent staging of these two major events will generate powerful synergy. The Biennale will create a rich academic and artistic atmosphere for the Congress through exhibitions of the highest quality, while the 2026 International Ceramic Congress (IAC Congress) will bring the Biennale its most core and broad-based international professional audience. Through mutual empowerment, the two platforms will together place Chinese ceramic culture at the center of global attention, attracting deeper and more sustained international engagement and discussion.
This choice of timing carriesirreproducible strategic value. To be presented with such prominence within a gathering of the world’s most authoritative international peers is, in itself, a powerful endorsement of the Biennale’s academic standing and world-class quality. It sends a clear message to the global ceramic art community that China not only has the capacity to host major international events, but has also established a high-level, self-directed platform that is fully recognized by the international academic mainstream.
Q：The theme of the 2026 Biennale isThe Future of Ceramics. In your view, which dimensions should discussions of the “future” focus on most?
A：Discussions aroundThe Future of Ceramicsconstitute a multifaceted exploration of new possibilities in ceramic art. They should focus on several interrelated dimensions.
First ismaterial transformation and the emergence of new languages. The future may move beyond the traditional category of “clay,” exploring combinations with biomaterials, metals, biodegradable substances, conductive ceramics, nano-glazes, and more—enabling ceramics to become self-cleaning, color-changing, luminous, or even to shift from static to dynamic states. A revolution in materials provides the physical foundation for the birth of new artistic forms.
Second isthe integration and activation of technology. In the digital age, technological convergence is inevitable. The integration of 3D printing, AI, virtual kiln firing, and other technologies with handcraft not only allows for extremely complex forms, but also enables effects to be preconfigured through digital simulation. This brings a precise, “living” mode of transmission to ancient kiln traditions and generates entirely new visual experiences.
Third iscross-disciplinary expression and the deepening of concepts. In terms of expression, future ceramics will move more decisively beyond the binary of utility versus aesthetic appreciation. They will increasingly appear in cross-media forms such as installation, video, and interactive art, becoming powerful conceptual vehicles through which artists address contemporary issues such as identity, technological ethics, and social change—creating ceramics that carry clear positions and ideas.
Fourth isthe expansion of contexts and integration with everyday life. The future also implies a closer integration of ceramics with contemporary life. Through new forms such as markets, cultural and creative products, and public art, ceramics are drawing closer to younger generations, moving from the museum into lived spaces and extending the scenarios of the artistic ecosystem.
The Future of Ceramicsis not about creating ex nihilo by abandoning tradition, but about drawing on the vitality and spirit of tradition to engage with contemporary technology, life, and thought. This is a form of wisdom that might be described as “preserving the soul while breaking the form”: holding fast to the core spirit of ceramic culture while boldly breaking through formal and disciplinary boundaries, opening up unprecedented possibilities through collisions across multiple dimensions.
Q：It is foreseeable that explorations of the “future” may invite criticisms such as being “detached from tradition” or “hard to understand.” How would you respond to such doubts? In a contemporary context, what do you believe is the best way to safeguard tradition?
A：I think comments such as “detached from tradition” or “hard to understand” are entirely natural.
At their core, contemporary ceramics and traditional ceramics belong to different systems. Traditional ceramics emphasize the beauty of craftsmanship and figurative expression, whereas contemporary ceramics function as conceptual art, whose essence lies inposing questions and provoking thought, rather than providing “standard answers.” The value of art is to open up imagination, not to impose norms. In this sense, “not understanding” is precisely the starting point of reflection.
In my view, the best way to safeguard tradition is by no means to “seal it away,” but toactivate it. In a contemporary context, true preservation means safeguarding its soul and spiritual core, rather than rigidly freezing its forms. This is the essence of “preserving the soul while breaking the form.”
The future we explore is a new growth that is deeply rooted in the soul of tradition. For tradition to live in the present and grow into the future, creative transformation and innovative development are essential. Through dialogue, experimentation, and cross-disciplinary engagement, tradition can be propelled toward qualitative evolution—allowing it to truly integrate into and contribute to contemporary culture.
Q：This edition introduces the new “Guozhong Emerging Artist Prize” and increases the proportion of prizes awarded to young artists. What unique opportunities does this mechanism offer to young ceramic artists worldwide, compared with other international biennales?
A：In the face of the fundamental questions that AI and the age of intelligence pose to the essence of ceramic art, we have come to realize that the future belongs to the young—and that young artists need to be explicitly encouraged and supported.
This mechanism does more than provide prize money and visibility. It builds a distinctive ecosystem that advocates exploration, embraces cross-disciplinary practice, and takes seriously the question of the artist’s role and capabilities in future society. It transforms the Biennale into an open laboratory—one that asks questions of the future and searches for answers together with the younger generation.
The Biennale encourages boundary-breaking and pluralistic exploration. We actively invite young practitioners who are deeply rooted in ceramics yet possess a strong sense of the times and a future-oriented vision, as well as “outsiders” from beyond the field of ceramics—creators from different backgrounds, including those working across disciplines and domains. The aim is to dismantle professional barriers and allow ceramics to spark unforeseen possibilities through richer collisions of ideas and technologies.
Behind this mechanism, the core quality we seek in the future strength of young artists isadaptability and a readiness for change. In a technological era, artists should possess a higher level of aesthetic discernment, cultural sensibility, and forward-looking vision. They must be able to master new technologies such as AI and transform them into tools for expressing their own distinctive ideas—ensuring that originality always springs from the individual’s inner vision and their own hands.
Q：As one of the most important ceramic exhibitions in the world, what irreplaceable bridges does the Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale build as a platform for dialogue within Asia and across the globe?
A：In recent years, the high level of recognition the Biennale has received indicates that it has become a key node within the global ceramic art ecosystem.
I believe it builds several indispensable bridges for dialogue within Asia and worldwide. It is abridge of mutual learning among civilizations, going beyond mere display to establish a new paradigm of in-depth academic dialogue with ceramics as its medium. It is a bridge of transformation through the activation of tradition, elevating ancient “craft inheritance” into “contemporary intellectual expression” and infusing intangible cultural heritage with contemporary spirit. It is a bridge of innovation through technological integration, bringing together traditional artisans, technologists, and artists to collaborate and catalyze fundamental evolution. It is a bridge of collaboration between academia, creation, industry, and application, effectively linking research, practice, and production to form a healthy ecosystem. And it is a bridge of public art education, connecting advanced scholarship with public aesthetics through a powerful contemporary presence and enhancing society’s cultural literacy.
The irreplaceability of the Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale lies in its role as a multidirectional, multilayeredhub—simultaneously linking tradition and the future, Asia and the world, scholarship and the public—profoundly reshaping the global landscape of dialogue and development in ceramic art.
Q：If “spirit” is the point of departure and “journey” the process, then what is there to look forward to in the “future”? At the same time, what are your greatest concerns or cautions?
A：What I look forward to in the future is the modern transformation of traditional genetic codes, and the deep co-existence of technology and the humanities. I hope to see entirely new visual experiences born from a healthy complementarity between technology and handcraft; to see ceramics engage more profoundly with social issues and articulate a strong “ceramic artist’s voice”; and to see it integrate with fields such as architecture and fashion, truly becoming part of public life.
My greatest concern is that ceramic art might become absorbed in technological spectacle or formalist “small pleasures,” thereby losing its capacity to respond to the realities of its time. If creation remains confined to playful experimentation with materials, lacking intellectual depth and humanistic concern, ceramics will never enter the mainstream discourse of contemporary culture. We must remain vigilant against work that is detached from reality and inconsequential.
Ultimately, the future of ceramics depends on whether it can carry profound thought through its distinctive material language and become a spiritual medium connecting history and the future.
Q：The Biennale’s open call also includes major traditional ceramic production regions across China (such as Longquan, Liling, and Foshan). This is more than simple regional coverage—what kind of idea do you hope to convey through this?
A：The future has already arrived. The future of ceramic art will be one of technology with warmth, form with thought, and aesthetics with responsibility. It will ultimately transcend the familiar forms and meanings we know today, growing into a new style and culture.
Every creator working in Jingdezhen and in the various traditional production regions bears a dual responsibility: inheritance and innovation. Tradition is living, and innovation is its instinct. What true tradition teaches us is not imitation, but creation. The history of ceramics itself is the result of generations courageously responding to the demands of their own times. Today, as we face the age of digital intelligence, we should be even more willing to become initiators of new cultural traditions.
At the same time, the Biennale issoil, not ameasuring stick. It is an open experimental field and a resonator, intended to pose questions and stir thought rather than provide standard answers. I hope everyone will have the courage to present their explorations and uncertainties here, allowing genuine encounters and collisions to occur.
Ultimately, the best form of “inheritance” is to allow tradition to live in the present—to live within today’s acts of creation. With the wisdom of “preserving the soul while breaking the form,” we must use contemporary hands and minds to keep tradition active and in a state of continual growth.
Q：Looking ten years ahead, when people speak again of the Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale, what is the evaluation you most hope to hear? What do you hope it will ultimately leave to the world?
A：“It reshaped the global image of contemporary Chinese ceramics, and helped transform the very DNA and character of the city of Jingdezhen.” I believe this is the shared aspiration of all the institutions and individuals involved in the planning, organization, and realization of the Biennale.
What I hope it will ultimately leave to the world is not merely an exhibition, but a new and plural cultural vision: an indispensable global experimental ground for ceramic art ideas; a living, sustainable model of an “international porcelain capital” where traditional spirit and contemporary vitality coexist; a healthy ecosystem that nurtures artists and continually renews itself; and a cultural bridge that transcends civilizations, allowing ceramics to continuously foster understanding and creativity.
