Young inheritor gives new lease of life to ancient Sancai wares

Zhang Yipeng glazes Sancai ceramics in his workshop in Luoyang city, central China’s Henan Province. (Photo/Huang Zhengwei)

Zhang Yipeng, an inheritor of Jiaotai (mixed clay) Sancai, a city-level intangible cultural heritage of Luoyang city, central China’s Henan Province, has given a new lease of life to the ancient handicraft.

Tri-colored glazed pottery, or Sancai, is a Chinese porcelain characterized by a glaze with three intermingled colors invented over 1,300 years ago during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In 2008, Sancai was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

Zhang, 35, is a local of Nanshishan village in Luoyang, the birthplace of Sancai. More than 70 enterprises in the village are engaged in the production of Sancai wares, providing jobs to more than 2,000 people.

Zhang has invented multiple cultural and creative products that cater to the tastes of the younger generation. To contribute his part to rural vitalization, he actively promotes the integrated development of Sancai through tourism, culture and creation.

“As a young inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, I will keep innovating and make more people fall in love with the ancient art,” says Zhang.