Porcelain: A Contemporary Cultural Touchstone
瓷器——现当代文化的试金石
Nancy Selvage, 2012 
江西景德镇有着一千年的制瓷史，它地处南中国，特有的地理环境为它提供了丰富的原材料，几个世纪的瓷土和釉料生产技术的发展，大规模定烧御用瓷，供不应求的全球贸易，以及各种具备专业熟练技能的拉坯工、釉工、烧窑工所形成的庞大产业体系。从十三世纪至十九世纪初，这座小城不仅是御用瓷的主要烧制地，也是整个世界的瓷器生产地。它对全球范围内的文化交流、审美、制瓷技术以及日常生活都产生了巨大的影响。
Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province has a thousand-year history of porcelain production thanks to abundant raw materials provided by southern China’s unique geological history, centuries of clay and glaze development, large scale imperial patronage, ravenous global demand, and an enormous industry of specialized and skilled clay fabricators, glaze painters, and kiln firers. This small city was the major source of porcelain for the imperial court as well as for the entire world from the thirteenth through the early nineteenth century, greatly impacting cultural exchange, aesthetics, ceramic technology, and daily life globally.
中东与欧洲经过了几个世纪的实验，欧洲才终于在1709年生产出第一件瓷器，比中国晚了一千年。这些实验虽然没能生产出瓷器，却为发展新的陶瓷技术做出了贡献。
Europe was not able to produce porcelain until 1709, a thousand years later than <?China and after centuries of experiments throughout the Middle East and Europe. These experiments failed to produce porcelain, but they did develop valuable new ceramic technologies.
在过去的几十年中，景德镇正在重获新生，在世界陶瓷发展的舞台上扮演着新的角色。当代艺术家们正如景德镇历史上的瓷器出口一样具有流动性与多元化特征，这座城市所积累的深厚的陶瓷专业知识以及创造性使它成为中国乃至全世界学生、艺术家和设计师们心中的圣地。各种培训计划、艺术家驻地和大量的熟练工、工作室给这些“朝圣者”提供了条件。同时，这些外来者带来的想法与定制业务也拓宽了景德镇的视野与选择。
Within the past generation Jingdezhen is experiencing a renaissance and has a new role to play in the development of world ceramics. Now that contemporary artists are as mobile and multicultural as Jingdezhen’s historic exports, this city’s remarkable concentration of ceramics expertise and creativity has become a mecca for Chinese and international students, artists, and designers. A variety of educational programs and artist residencies and a wealth of skilled labor and studio workshops support the increasing influx. In exchange, the new talent brings ideas and commissions that expand visions and options.
在改革开放时期，景德镇的陶艺家在复兴、保护和发展文化遗产中扮演着特殊的角色。在面对国际交流所带来的新机遇以及城市的创新发展中，他们将流传了一千年的陶瓷传统手工技艺与基础保持了下来，可以想见他们当时所处的一系列极其罕见的情境。
During the reform period of the last few decades, Jingdezhen’s porcelain artists have been in the unique position of being able to participate in the resurrection, preservation, and contemporary developme