Co-hosted by the Institute of Ceramics Archeology and Art Research of the Department of History at Beijing Normal University, the Institute of Ceramics Archeology and Art Research at Peking University, and the Sino-Foreign Cultural Exchange Center of the Palace Museum, the seminar entitled “Ceramics Archeology and Art” was held in Beijing from April 10 to April 11, 2021. More than fifty scholars from some twenty universities and research institutions attended the seminar, among which nineteen scholars gave presentations of their research findings. The main themes included the modes of production and organization of Chinese ancient ceramics and the diffusion of its technology, the domestic market and overseas circulation, new archeological evidence and directions, textual studies of images, analysis of historical and cultural origins, new findings from scientific and technological examinations, etc.

The seminar was dynamic with energetic speeches and discussions from the experts and scholars. Four features characterized the seminar: first, the seminar covered a wide span of historical periods and a broad range of topics; second, the topics were complementary with each other in their attention to the connections and interactions among different object materials; third, the seminar kept abreast of frontier research and new discoveries and highlighted the gist of matters; fourth, the presentations used scientific and technological means to solve practical problems and spoke on concrete evidence. The discussions at the seminar provided both in-depth examinations of specific issues and a comprehensive grasp of the general patterns. The seminar achieved significant results in gathering academic strength and carrying forward the past.

Written by: Bai Wei, Liu Jingxian

Preliminary Reviewer: Xu Bingbin

Final Reviewer: Wang Zilin

Translated by: Zhou Muyun