LIU GUOXIANG(1947 – )
Bo r n i n 1 9 4 7 i n Sh iwa n , Guangdong Province (ancestrally from Shunde, Guangdong), Liu Guoxiang comes from a family of pottery artists. He is the thirdgeneration successor of the century-old pottery brand Liu Shengji, founded by Liu Huisheng.
F r om a y o u n g a g e , L i u trained under his father, Liu Weitang, and began learning the family ’s signature microsculpting technique – crafting miniature figures placed under bonsai – by the age of nine. He lat e r mastered po tter y glaze formulation, successfully developing crystalline, Kun red, crackle, and flambe red glazes, under the careful guidance of his predecessors.
Liu’s exceptional skills have earned him numerous honours. He is a recognised representative inheritor of the ‘Shiwan Ceramic Sc u l p t u r e Te c h n i q u e s ’, a Guangdong Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage project, and holds the titles of ‘Senior Artist and Craftsman’ and ‘Senior Technician’. He has also been honoured as a ‘Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts of Guangdong Province’. His notable works, including ‘Red Boat ’, ‘Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea’, ‘Drunken Eight Immortals’, and ‘Seven Sages in the Bamboo Grove’, have won nationa l , provincial, and municipal awards.
In addit i o n , Li u f requent ly visits schools to teach pottery techniques, showing a deep commitment to promoting and preserving the cultural heritage of Shiwan pottery.