Captain Qin remembered the order not to pit himself in, so when he heard the roar of his boss, he immediately stopped talking.

But Hollande was able to do it, looked at Zhang Tianyuan and said with a smile: "A layman understands that all the well-known porcelain brands in the world today are from our West, and your modern porcelain in China is simply useless." ”

Speaking of this, Hollande looked very proud and continued: "If nothing else, I think those of you who like ceramics should have heard of the name LENOX Lambax ceramic tableware, right?"

Everyone looked at Zhang Tianyuan in unison, as if they felt that he should be an expert here and should know this thing.

"It all depends on what I do, yes, I have heard that LENOX was founded in 1889 by the founder Walter Scott Lanax, and is the world's high-end ceramic brand, the first brand in the American ceramic industry. LENOX ceramic tableware products have been favored by successive presidents of the United States, and are also the preferred exhibits of famous national museums, and are recognized as a famous brand by consumers and collectors of high-end crafts from all over the world. But so what, that kind of porcelain, we make it the same. ”

Zhang Tianyuan This is not nonsense, technically speaking, the domestic technology is in place, and it is completely possible to create an internationally renowned ceramic brand, the problem lies in one word - chaos.

This chaos has made the achievements of the Chinese go down the drain, of course, there are other reasons, but the most important thing is that no one has coordinated a certain ceramic brand and then hit the international market.

"Yes, you don't seem to be alone, but in 1889 the Lenox Ceramic Art Company was founded, and at first it was more like a studio. The ivory luster of Lenox Blue Nax porcelain is distinctive. And not the kind of product that is on the assembly line in other factories. Originally made by just eighteen employees, these beautifully painted and shaped vases, jugs and tea sets were so well received by customers that Lenox was sold exclusively in the most exclusive stores. By 1897, some of Lenox's ceramics were in the Smithsonian Institution's collection. ”

"In order to cater to the growing American interest in high-quality porcelain, LENOX Ceramic Tableware will not only retain the original customized service, but also produce some standard pattern tableware. ”

"In 1910, the company introduced some patterns that could be copied. And enhanced by hand-coloring, LENOX Blue Nax ceramic tableware began to use colorful flat decals. The first two motifs, Chinese officials and Ming dynasty porcelain, were popular for 50 years after their introduction in 1917. The appliqués not only ensure the consistency of the pattern, but also create the brand's recognizability. In this way, the guests will be able to recognize the LENOX brand, so that they will appreciate the unique taste of the hostess, which will invisibly make the hostess feel infinitely satisfied. This is what I mean by carrying forward, the same thing that you have in China, but in the hands of us Americans, it can be even better!"

The LENOX brand of Lenax porcelain tableware has quickly become synonymous with elegant tableware, the 'best of choice' for families and more, including the White House. President Wilson and his wife commissioned 1,700 units in 1918 for official receptions. This makes LENOX Lenax ceramic tableware the first American porcelain brand to be used on an elegant presidential table, and the only American porcelain brand that has been used by the White House for more than 80 years. ”

"You know, LENOX has customized official porcelain for six presidents, including Roosevelt, Truman, Reagan, Clinton and George Bush, and has provided ceramic tableware for government departments such as the vice president's residence, 300 U.S. embassies, and more than half of the governor's residences. For the past 20 years, LENOX has also been invited to design and produce beautiful gifts for many new presidents, including Barack Obama, as well as visiting political dignitaries and VIPs. ”

"But what does this have to do with our China, after all, isn't this a ceramic that sells well in your United States? Our Chinese ceramics also sell very well in China. Liu Dabin said unconvinced.

"That's a good question, so I'll tell you. In October 2010, China National Arts & Crafts Import & Export Corporation cooperated with LENOX Blue Nax Ceramic Tableware. It was introduced to China, and although it has only been a year at the moment, the sales volume is very good, and people like the beautiful and novel design of LENOX ceramic tableware products very much, and recognize their high quality. ”

"Why haven't I seen it?" asked Liu Dabin, puzzled.

"Of course, for now. LENOX blue nax ceramic tableware is mainly aimed at high-end consumers. All of ENOX's classic series are produced in the United States, with the exception of a few popular side lines that are manufactured in Indonesia. Definitely not produced in your China, your ability to plagiarize is too powerful. ”

Hollande continues: "For more than 100 years, the artisans have taken these handmade steps by heart to heart, in accordance with the philosophy of the founder, Walter Scott Lannax, who wanted to create the highest quality of craftsmanship, the most exquisite creations and the most beautiful works of art. ”

"Today. When we pick up a porcelain cup of LENOX blue nax ceramic tableware and aim it at the light source, we will find that the light can shine through the cup, which is not brought by the glaze color on the porcelain, but the ceramic itself, which makes the LENOX blue nax ceramic tableware products look more jewel-like shiny, which is the performance of the quality of LENOX blue nax ceramic tableware. LENOX blue nax ceramic bone china tableware contains more than 50% bone meal, more than ordinary bone china, and its ivory bone china is unique, it is the symbol of LENOX blue nax ceramic tableware. ”

"Since its inception, LENOX has always adhered to high standards in the art and craftsmanship of its products. Today, LENOX Ceramic Tableware is the oldest and most influential brand in the American tableware and gift industry, with award-winning products that not only provide official porcelain for the president, but are also loved by millions of American households. ”

"I once heard a story that we American ceramic craftsmen could paint for fifteen days and burn for fifteen days. Come and make a piece of porcelain, can your craftsmen do it?"

Finally, Hollande said his words with great emotion, and then raised his hands with great pride, as if he were a conducting artist, which made people feel a little amused to watch.

"Are you finished?" asked Zhang Tianyuan slowly.

"That's it. ”

"Good. You're done, it's time for me to talk about it. First of all, I must admit that your country's modern porcelain is really good, and I also admit that our country has not given birth to internationally renowned ceramic brands, but why?"

Looking at the people around him, Zhang Tianyuan continued:

"Why China has not formed a good ceramic brand, I think in addition to the lack of a unified brand, in essence, we are the importer of Western aesthetics. From this point on, it is difficult to achieve the top level of branding. ”

"Technically speaking, now that ceramic technology is basically mature, we are capable of making fine porcelain. However, industrialization and branding are insufficient, and the design ability is not strong. ”

"But there are some good companies out there. It must be said here that the phenomenon of mutual plagiarism and imitation between various creative ceramics in Xijiang Ceramics Town is very serious, there is basically no copyright at all, and mutual imitation has led to low-price competition in today's general market situation, which can be said to be a vicious circle. Although Xijiang Ceramics Town has always been said to be weakened. But the technology and industrial processes are very mature there, and there are many domestic and foreign artists who create works here. Why can't we form a local, good brand?"

"Of course. The brand here refers to the brand in the eyes of your Westerners, in fact, there are still some local brands in Xijiang Ceramics Town, I don't think there is a so-called brand of yours, one of the reasons is that the artist himself is the brand, and what is sold is the artist's personal fame, which is the so-called 'master porcelain'. The price is thousands to millions, which is the main high-end ceramics in Xijiang Ceramics Town. ”

"However, in recent years, due to many reasons, the master porcelain market is far from what it used to be. I won't go into detail about this. A lot of artists who are not masters, by the way, masters don't just talk about it. Although these non-master artists have created a lot of works, they did not think of creating a brand based on it, and they did not attach importance to the brand. It may also have something to do with the locality, in Xijiang Ceramics Town, it is also feasible to sell ceramics without a brand. It is also related to the production mode here, where there are few factories and many private workshops, and production is carried out in workshops. ”

"That's basically why the brand isn't formed, but I would like to refute Mr. Hollande's point in particular. You said that your craftsmen 'paint for 15 days and burn for 15 days', of course there are 15 days of painting here, not to mention 15 days, there are also 50 days for a work. And burned for fifteen days... The kiln will be fried...... In ancient times, almost all of the wood-burning kilns were now electric kilns, and no matter ancient and modern, they were burned for a day and a night, and most of the low-temperature roasted flowers could be burned in half a day. If you don't understand, don't say it, lest it become a joke. ”

"Poof!" Liu Dabin on the side couldn't recognize it and laughed.

"Alas, Brother Dabin, how can you laugh at a layman, this is not right. Zhang Tianyuan said.

"But what he just said was so swearing, as if it was really like that, it was so funny. Liu Dabin said.

"What about blind painting, our craftsmen draw directly on ceramics without line drawing, can you do it?" said Hollande, who seemed unconvinced.

Zhang Tianyuan smiled and said: "Blind painting also has a distinction between division of labor strokes and freehand painting, I haven't seen the painting directly on the porcelain, the outline of the brush is very important, the mistakes caused by the direct painting lead to the waste of time compared to the little effort spent on the manuscript is very cost-effective, and the freehand painting is proficient directly to the porcelain painting is completely OK." Our craftsmen can still do it, and many of them can. ”

"I don't believe it, I've heard that none of your current art students have hand-drawn drawings in their junior year," Hollande added.

First of all, let me tell you, there is no Academy of Fine Arts in Xijiang Ceramic Town, one undergraduate is the Pottery Academy, and a technical secondary school + junior college where the locals call the Porcelain School, and the full name has the word Academy of Fine Arts, but it has nothing to do with the eight major academies of Fine Arts that everyone admits. Although it is true that they have learned the craft of decals, for the students in the school, hand-painting is undoubtedly the best choice in terms of cost and help in learning. If you don't paint it by hand, you only have decals, and for students who don't need to do mass production, the price of decals is not cheap, and the paper that opens a good set is not cheap, and it is more expensive than hand-drawing. ”

"Besides, decals are not a shameful thing, didn't the ceramic company you just mentioned also use the technique of decals?" Although Zhang Tianyuan smiled, every question was directly to the point, which made Hollande very uncomfortable. (To be continued......)