Bulletin Number Three 1983

An Interview w ith Professor Feng Xian-ming A t the invitation o f the University, Professor Feng Xian-ming ， world-renowned expert in ceramics, served as Honorary Professor o f Fine Arts from February to Ap ril this year. Professor Feng ， Research Fellow and Deputy Director o f the Research Unit ， Palace Museum ， Beijing ， is also President o f the Society o f Ancient Chinese Ceramics, President o f the Society o f Ancient Chinese Export Ceramics, and a Committee member o f the Chinese Archaeological Society. Besides contributing regularly to the Palace Museum Journal, Wenwu ( 文物 ) , Kaogu( 考古） and other leading periodicals, he has also edited A History o f Chinese Ceramics (Beijing: Wenwu Press ， 1982 )， and written part o f the chapters on Tang and Song Dynasties. He now serves on the Editorial Committee o f Chinese Ceramics, a jo in t publication o f Shanghai People'sA r t Press and B i no B i Press o f Japan (34 vol .， o f which 7 vol are now in print). Q. I understand China's rapid development in archaeology during the past thirty years with its increasing finds has contributed considerably to the study o f the history o f Chinese ceramics. Could you review fo r us China's achievement in ceramic studies in the last three decades? A. In 'China's Achievements in Archaeological Research Work on Ceramics in the Last Three Decades', an article published in the Palace Museum Journal (No. I ， 1980 )， I have sum­ marized the achievements as follows: (1) a rough outline o f the first appearance o f porcelain has emerged; (2) a general picture o f the distribution o f kilns o f various dynasties has been formed; (3) the relationship between the decorations on Tang and Song ceramic ware and contemporaneous minor arts has been better understood; (4) many gaps in the history o f Chinese ceramics have been filled in; (5) errors in existing literature have been rectified; (6) the provenance o f many heir­ loom pieces have been identified; and (7) specia­ lized studies have been encouraged. During the past th irty years, over 1,000 Neolithic sites and more or less the same number o f kilns o f various dynasties were discovered. Our knowledge o f Neolithic sites, previously lim ited to the Yellow River region, has been extended to the Yangtze River area, and the northeastern and southeastern parts o f the country. In Xianyang (咸 陽 ) (Qin capital), Shaanxi and other areas — Qin Shi-huang's Tomb at Lintong ( 臨 潼 ） in particular —a lo t o f Qin relics were unearthed. In one o f the tomb-figure vaults alone, more than 6,000 figure warriors and figure horses were found. Not only have these finds thrown much light on the quality o f Qin pottery and the dynasty's costumes and hairstyles, but they have also provided valuable data for dynastic historians. 14 ACADEMIC/CULTURAL EVENTS