Ceramic artwork created by Chinese artist Lei Jie Photo: Courtesy of Kyoto House

Ceramic artwork created by Chinese artist Tong Bowen Photo: Courtesy of Kyoto House 

Japanese ceramic art work  Photo: Courtesy of Kyoto House

Ceramic artwork created by Chinese artist Xie Dong Photo: Courtesy of Kyoto House

Borrowing the idea of shanzhi, a word from the classic work of philosophy the Tao Te Ching meaning "cultivation," an art exhibition dedicated to showing the cultural bonds between China and Japan through ceramic art kicked off in Shanghai on Monday. 

The new exhibition displays ceramic and pottery works created by 40 artisans from China and Japan as the year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations.

The show includes three sections focusing on themes such as the "Birth of Everything," "Refresh and Renew," and also "Return to Dust." Such themes show the interwoven and mutual-learning relationship between Chinese and Japanese ceramic art. They also reflect the cultural consensus toward nature-oriented philosophy shared by China and Japan since ancient times. 

"Ceramic culture originated in China, and later had a huge influence on Japanese art. Though the art is embraced by both countries, they developed it divergently. For example, Japan's appreciation of 'imperfection' mirrors the traditional Chinese aesthetic pursuit of being 'mellow and elegant,'" Xiang Yuyi, a ceramic artist, told the Global Times. 

As an art form that draws China and Japan close, the Shanghai exhibition is not the first show that has been launched in China in 2022. 

In November, a China-Japan Ceramic Culture Exchange Forum was launched in Baoding, North China's Hebei Province. Yasuo Fukuda, the prime minister of Japan from 2007 to 2008, also noted the shared cultural characters on ceramic arts between China and Japan in an online speech made at the show. 

Ceramic art goes beyond the boundaries between countries and forms a bond of communication and a bridge of cooperation between Japan and China, which is of profound significance for the present and the future, Fukuda said. 

The Shanghai exhibition is being held at the Kyoto House and is scheduled to end on February 28, 2023.