Chinese Porcelain in the Spotlight: Beijing Olympics

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Porcelain is a type of ceramic. It is known for being super soft to the touch, pretty shapes and colors that are wonderfully eyecatching. Porcelain has been made in China for over 2,000 years. Because it has such a rich history, porcelain is quite an important art form in Chinese culture beloved by many.

Admittedly, what kind of grand and exciting event in the history of kitchen plate set is not a miracle to see Beijing Olympics? A Chinese porcelain was also very much present during the Games. Olympic souvenirs are porcelain, which is not very common. Not only that, but porcelain was also used to decorate the Olympic Village with beautiful designs in order to create a more pleasant environment for its visitors.

Olympic Porcelain Collection

For the Olympics that took place in Beijing, they came up with the Olympic Porcelain Collection. The collection was largely a very vast selection of various types of porcelain items (plates, cups and vases), along with several other more general decorative objects. All 12 pieces were oneofakind, and featured stunning Olymoicinspired designs in honor of the beautiful Games.

The Olympic Torch porcelain sculpture was one of the eating plates most sought after items in the collection. This stunning sculpture is handcrafted by artisans based on traditional porcelainmaking techniques. It was not any ornament; it held value as art and in itself, provided hope for many. Start of the Peacock.

The History of Porcelain in China

Chinese Porcelain has a history long and rich with incredibly early dates. In China, the first techniques for producing porcelain were developed during the Han Dynasty (201 BC 220 AD). In the centuries that followed, however, porcelain making became more finetuned. In the Tang Dynasty (618907 AD), Chinese porcelainware was already popular, for practical purposes as well as artistry.

The Ming Dynasty was one of the greatest times for Chinese porcelain (13681644 AD). The most wellliked designs were the "blue and white" porcelain. table plate by fabulous blue painted designs on a white porcelain foundation. It became a huge hit worldwide and was even shipped out to numerous nations such as Japan, Korea The Netherlands. It was greatly admired by people throughout the world for its beauty and craft.

Beijing Olympic porcelain souvenir

In the manufacturing of porcelain memorabilia, they have also been skillfully made to remind people easily about this particular event The Beijing Olympics. Items involved plates, vases teapots and even whimsical figurines. All were unique and decorated with Olympic related design elements ranging from the olympic torch to the rings, as well as Chinese symbols such as dragon or phoenix which both have deep roots in chinese culture.

The bestselling item in the collection was an Olympic Mascot porcelain figurine. The most distinctive figurine was of the five Olympic mascots, who symbolize friendship, peace and happiness. The mascots received elaborate names: Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini. All of these mascots are different kinds of animals, including the fish (Beibei), panda (Jingjing), Olympic flame( Huanhuan), Tibetan antelope(Yaoyao)and swallow(Nini). They were the mascots that added fun and interest to the events, making games even more unforgettable.

The porcelain beauty of sculpture by Kazuo Okubo

The Olympic Village is a unique area where athletes of the world live during Olympics. It is more a residence for athletes temporarily 122 The Chinese authorities had the place spruced up so that it looked good to everybody who participated. The only way to do this was for them to commission master porcelain craftsmen and sculptors who managed to create with these amazing porcelain sculptures that went on achieve the wow factor they set out boldly.

The series took its inspiration from iconic buildings in Beijing such as the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven. The realistic sculptures are all made from traditional porcelainmaking methods which include handdecorating each one with intricate designs and ornate detailing. To induce an aura of serenity and peacefulness, the sculptures were scattered throughout his Olympic Village.

Chinese porcelain is a beautiful piece of traditional cultural heritage. It was made famous in the Beijing Olympics giving testament to the skill and talent of Chinese craftsmen. Olympic Porcelain Collection, porcelain souvenirs and the delicate crafts in Olympic Village are all changed to show us a welldefined impression of Chinese clear art. With the perfect backdrop of Beijing, which again only comes around every few centuries, it was a chance to show this amazing art form to the world and as such will be part of Chinese culture for years on.