Choose one thing and stick with it for the rest of your life. This is a saying that people often use to describe craftsmen. Zhong Liansheng, who started working with cloisonné at the age of 15 and has never given up on this craft for forty-six years, is undoubtedly interpreting it with his own life.

　　But at the same time, Zhong Liansheng also believes that a good craftsman should be a generalist. From the Taotie pattern on the bronzes in the Forbidden City's warehouse, to the paintings of Picasso, the founder of modernism, to the lotus leaves and yellow ducks in the park pond, only by understanding everything can you be rich enough.

Photo provided by Zhong Liansheng interviewee

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　　Pomegranate is an image that often appears in works with the theme of national unity in recent years.

　　In the Cloisonné Art Museum in the Beijing Enamel Factory, there is a gorgeous, solemn and majestic "Cathay Durian Fragrance". This enamel vessel is 1.8 meters high. The sepals on the top are evenly split. The bottle body is decorated with pomegranate flowers, peonies and other patterns like a plump pomegranate fruit. A gold ribbon is wrapped around it, adding a gorgeousness to it.

　　The original exhibit was designed and produced by Zhong Liansheng, a Chinese cloisonné master, chief craftsman of the Beijing Enamel Factory, winner of the Capital National Unity and Progress Award, member of the China Democratic National Construction Association, and his colleagues.

　　In 2015, "Cathay Durian Fragrance" was presented to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region government as a gift from the central delegation to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the autonomous region.

　　"The petals on the top of the pomegranate cannot be single-layered, otherwise they will look very thin," Zhong Liansheng said. "If you look closely, the sepals are also bulging inside. That's because a thin sheet is welded inside. , which makes it more rounded, thicker and more atmospheric."

　　Comprehensive consideration of craftsmanship and meticulous consideration of pattern design are the reasons why cloisonné lovers prefer Zhong Liansheng’s works. These unique features of his come not only from his innate love for art, but also from practice, study and accumulation day after day.

　　In 1978, after graduating from the third grade of junior high school, Zhong Liansheng entered the Enamel Factory Technical School and began to learn how to make enamelware. Every spring and summer, he and his classmates would go to major parks in Beijing to sketch the new flowers on the branches.

　　"Plum blossoms, apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, pear blossoms, apple blossoms, and crabapple blossoms are all five-petal flowers, but what are the characteristics of each?" Zhong Liansheng said, "The petals of plum blossoms are particularly full, and the outside of each petal of peach blossoms is pointed. The petals of pear blossoms are extra large with a big gap, and the petals of apple blossoms are long. Pear blossoms, crabapple blossoms, and apple blossoms are small branches extending from the trunk, and the flowers and leaves are clustered. Apricot blossoms and peach blossoms are all long and close to the stem. .”

　　In Zhong Liansheng's view, only by painting can one understand the growth structure of each flower and make them "alive" in the work. As a creator, you need to always go to see exhibitions and observe life. "Your creativity and inspiration need to be accumulated in life, so you really need to devote yourself to it," Zhong Liansheng said.

　　In 2022, the sixty-year-old Zhong Liansheng has reached retirement age, but neither the enamel factory nor himself feel that it is time to leave. Visiting here has long become a habit in his life. Zhong Liansheng said: "The enamel factory is not too far from my home. If I have nothing to do on one of the two weekends, I can drive here and take a look around."

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　　Zhong Liansheng, who is still working on the front line, in addition to mentoring apprentices and doing design, is also responsible for another important task - product development. He often communicates with engineering parties and customers to understand each other's needs and concepts.

　　"It's not enough for craftsmen to express their own artistic views. You have to combine it with craftsmanship and consider the market," Zhong Liansheng said. "Some creations are particularly artistic. As high-quality products that realize artistic pursuits, there are also some projects that need to be based on Design according to the needs of customers, cultural and creative products must conform to public aesthetics, and national gifts must suit the different themes of the country.”

　　From a student to chief craftsman and general manager, Zhong Liansheng has spent forty years in the enamel factory, and has also experienced several ups and downs in the cloisonne industry. When he first entered this "Contemporary Manufacturing Office", it was the golden period of exporting cloisonné to earn foreign exchange, and the entire factory had more than 1,800 employees. By the 1990s, foreign markets were saturated, domestic market consumption levels were limited, and the industry fell into a trough; in 2006 In 2009, China announced the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage, and cloisonne was among them, taking advantage of the opportunity to take off again.

　　The ups and downs of the cloisonné industry under the changing times demonstrate the importance of environment and market in the creation of handicrafts. “Keeping up with the times and life,” Zhong Liansheng said, “This is a conscious pursuit: to reflect the characteristics, the spirit of the times, and the aesthetics of the times. Moreover, when you live in this era, you will be subtly affected, and your creation will also be influenced by it. It will come out naturally.”

　　To keep up with the times, you need a "mixed person who knows everything." Zhong Liansheng said: "There are all kinds of public aesthetics. Some like traditional, some like modern and abstract. You have to dabble in something."

　　Among Zhong Liansheng's cloisonné works, there is a pair of exquisite small fountains "Language of Flowers" and "Fragrance", which cleverly combine the latest trends of the times with ancient connotations. The former is blue in color and has a European style, with water spurting out from the flower buds, while the latter is in golden color and decorated with auspicious peonies and swimming fish. Both are decorations and also have the effect of purifying the air.

　　"We have caught up with a good era," Zhong Liansheng said. "It is really lucky to stand on the shoulders of our predecessors, be inspired by so many excellent works, and then improve our own development and design imagination." (End) (Reported by Wang Xize, author of "China News")