Creating tradition with a glaze of modernity

Ceramic craftsman brings style to ancient skill with innovative design.

Ye Chenxi turned away from the lure of big city life seven years ago and went back to his mountainous home to carry on the family tradition.

The 29-year-old from Longquan, a small county-level city of East China's Zhejiang province, has been working on modern design for celadon, a green-glazed Chinese ceramic that first appeared during the Three Kingdoms (220-280) and reached its zenith in the middle and late periods of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Longquan has been a major site for celadon production.

The Longquan celadon features multiple layers of greenish or grayish blue glaze, which resemble jade.

Ye's family has been engaged in celadon craftsmanship for more than 200 years, from the reign of Emperor Jiaqing (1796-1820) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).