Origin of Gangcai : Guangdong Painted Porcelain

Most of the earliest porcelain workers who came to Hong Kong possessed knowledge from Guangdong painted porcelain lineage. Within Guangdong painted porcelain are two main genres of Guangcai and Chaozhou colour porcelains. Both Guangcai and Chaozhou colour porcelains have been included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China (as serials 880 and 1332 respectively), together with the influence from the painted porcelain tradition in Jingdezhen of Jiangxi, and innovative ideas from local masters, enabled Gangcai to be a confluence of many traditions and talents.

Guangcai, i.e. Guangzhou painted porcelain, began in mid to late period of Kangxi’s reign and matured during the reign of Yongzheng. Chaozhou colour porcelain has a long history and generally refers to painted porcelain produced around the region of Chaozhou from the Qing dynasty or Republican era, and popular in Xiangqiao District, Fengxi District, Chaoan District and Raoping County of Chaozhuo in Guangdong Province. The Guangcai and Chaozhuo colour porcelains commonly seen in Hong Kong have some common traits resulting from the historical development, but there are also some differences. The differences between the two can be broadly summarised as follows: Guangcai typically features patterns covering the entire porcelain surface, with whitespaces cut out from the background like windows for the central motif, visually packed and gorgeous. Chaozhou colour porcelain, by contrast, favours a relatively simple style, separately in layers, often employing compositions akin to paintings. In terms of paint, Guangcai primarily uses water to adjust the colour, employing distinct Guangcai pigments and colour schemes, then fired to produce thin, translucent surface, with slightly textured feel to the touch, they are then outlined with black lines before being coloured. Chaozhou colour porcelain, on the other hand, predominantly uses oil-based pigments that was mostly imported, the painted surfaces are smooth to the touch, with patterns being outlined with black lines before painted on, evoking the spirit of Chinese ink wash painting. Though each possesses its own unique strength, both Guangcai and Chaozhou colour porcelain evolved from the porcelain painting techniques of Jiangxi during their development, and both are employed to produce replicas of antiques from the times of Kangxi, Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang of the Qing dynasty; besides, both Guangcai and Chaozhou colour porcelain frequently decorated with gold with gilding and piling to make the porcelains look splendour, thus it is often difficult to distinguish Guangcai pieces from those made in Chaozhou colour porcelain techniques.

Guangcai Factories in Hong Kong

The early production modes of Hong Kong’s Guangcai porcelain factories were predominantly influenced by Guangzhou traditions, this influence is corroborated by comparing the 1955 edition 'Wage scale for painting guangcai patterns' by Hong Kong and Kowloon Porcelain Painters’ Union with the 1926 edition of 'Wage scale of Lingsi Tang', which reveal strikingly similar nomenclature for traditional Guangcai motifs. The principal local Guangcai factories in the early days included Kam Wah Loong, Ah Chow, Tung Fong, Kwong Yee Loong (a partnership between the brothers Lee Ming and Lee Shum with Wat Kau), Wing Lee Shing, Wing Hing, Wing Shun Loong, Chun Wah Loong, and Kwong Yee Loong on Peng Chau (different from another factory with the same name, later renamed as Wah Lee), Chun Lung Sing, and Hung Hing. Subsequently, Kam Wah Loong was renamed as Yuet Tung China Works, ran by the Tso’s family for three generations; and Lee Wing Chiu who was the son of Wing Lee Shing’s proprietor Lee Siu Hung, founded An Tai; descendants of the founder of Ah Chow, Koo Hoi Ming, established Lok Woot; descendants of the proprietor of Wing Hing, Szeto Wai Tak, founded Wing Tai. Together with later-established enamel porcelain factories such as Chiu Kee Porcelain in Peng Chau, the Guangcai craftsmanship has been passed down through generations. Many local Guangcai masters, such as Chan King Ho, Mak Kam Chor, Tam Chi Hung, and Lam Siu Woo, all were proficient in multitude of painting styles. Many other painting masters and porcelain factories of earlier times have been lost and waiting for rediscovery. Traditional Guangcai designs continued to be the mainstay for local porcelain factories throughout the 20th century. Besides making items listed in the catalogue of porcelain, factories also produced 'antique replica Guangcai ' in the early years, driven by demand from Western antique merchants. For instance, Lee Siu Hung who came from Guangzhou’s Henan District and dubbed the best in painted porcelain, was a master of antique replica Guangcai; and Vong Vai In, the owner of Chung Ah, specialised in porcelain pieces in the style of Daoguang and Tongzhi eras during his factory’s early years; David K. S. Ho, founder of Wah Tung China Company, produced porcelain portraits in the style of Tongzhi era during the company’s infancy; and Cheng Ping, the earliest painting master at Art Sheen, excelled at creating porcelain wares closely resemble to those from Kangxi era.

Chaozhou Colour Porcelain Factories in Hong Kong

As for major local factories of Chaozhou Colour Porcelain, there were Shing Fa, Luen Shing, etc. Many painting masters from Teoswa region used to work on painting porcelain wares for Chinese restaurants, such as saucers for dim sums decorated with their prices or porcelains decorated with the name of the businesses. Some of the exemplar painting masters also came from Teoswa region, like Lee Siu Man who is famous for his artistic porcelain works. There were also many Chaozhou Colour Porcelain workshops in Holly Cross Path Village at Shau Kei Wan, a number of famed painting masters worked there during the early years, such as the brothers Ng Hak-lai and Ng Hak-shun from Tung Kwong Lai Kee, Cheng Tse-ru, Yu Chak-shu, So Siu-choy. So Siu-choy later worked for one of the largest To Ngai Earthware, one of the largest painted porcelain factories in Hong Kong, which was founded by Jacky C. Y. Liu from Chaoan, whose six children all entered the porcelain business. Tse Chung-ng who had been leading Tao Fong Shan Art Ministry for nearly 40 years is a porcelain painting master from Chaoan along with many painting masters of Hakka linage in the ministry coming from Meizhou, they learnt the Chaozhou colour porcelain techniques along with Buddhist monks from all over China. There also many other Chaozhou colour porcelain factories and painting masters in Hong Kong.

Different Traditions of Porcelain Painting

Upon arriving in Hong Kong, practitioners from different Guangdong coloured porcelain traditions continued working according to their workflows, but many moved on to try their hands on other types of painted porcelain based on the demands from market or the employers. Masters who followed different traditions collaborate and borrow the techniques from each other in the Gangcai industry, making Gangcai a diverse craft. Interactions between practitioners of Guangcai and Chaozhou colour porcelain were commonplace in Hong Kong: numerous Chaozhou colour porcelain painters joined Guangcai factories after arriving in Hong Kong and vice versa, though in some cases the Guangcai factories themselves had turned to producing Chaozhou colour porcelain. Major local porcelain manufacturers established numerous satellite workshops, gathering painters from diverse regions and specialties, making antique replica porcelain of nearly every Chinese dynasty. Selected few painters who were also well versed in Chinese calligraphy and painting, produced calligraphic porcelain or porcelain imbued with the style of literati painting. Moreover, some master painters transcended the different traditions, combining the techniques from the different schools to forge their own distinctive styles. They blended water-based and oil-based pigments to create multi-layered glazes, skilfully rendering visual effects of extraordinary richness.

Hong Kong as a Place of Confluence of Techniques from Different Place

From its inception, Gangcai was primarily produced for export. Much like the early Qing dynasty export porcelain, which included custom-made pieces based on foreign designs, by the 20th century in Hong Kong, the preferences of overseas clients directly influenced the types of porcelain produced by painted porcelain factories and painters. Regardless of their origins, practitioners in Gangcai made porcelain to meet the needs of overseas clients to earn foreign money, this made them remarkably flexibile. Painters specialising in traditional Guangcai and Chaozhou colour porcelain, drawing upon their learned techniques and eagerness to explore other painting techniques, could adeptly imitate imperial porcelain pieces or export porcelain during Qing dynasty, and even Western-style such as Rococo style or Imari, Kutani, and Satsuma styles from Japan. When 'thick-glaze' porcelain emerged from traditional powder-glaze techniques and gained widespread popularity, most painters—whether originally specialising in Guangcai or Chaozhou colour porcelain—joined this trend. This movement first appeared in Hong Kong during the 1970s, pioneered by Chung Ah and Wah Tung, with nearly all other Gangcai factories joined the bandwagon into producing thick-glaze wares. During the peak of Gangcai industry, factories employing multiple decorative techniques included not only Chung Ah and Wah Tung, but also To Ngai, Art Sheen, Wing Tai, To Tsui Kok, and Wing Shing. As the boundaries blurred across different porcelain production traditions, the distinctive character of Gangcai became all the more pronounced.

The Artistic Competence of Gangcai Painting Masters

The most accomplished Gangcai painting masters often lack formal training, they usually acquire their porcelain painting skills not only out of necessity to make a living, but also pursue artistic cultivation outside of the industry, this amateur training has subtly shaped their distinctive painting artistry. Take the painter Chui Miu who is also a master in ink wash painting. He learnt Chinese painting through a training course offered by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong before working for porcelain factory. Lee Siu Man, also a painter, studied Chinese painting under the renowned master Bao Shaoyou, who in turn had studied in Japan. Vong Vai In specialised in figure painting, with foundational training in design and sketching from the Hong Kong Art School. The master of ceramics Cheung King practised calligraphy and excels in both running script and regular script. Tam Chi-hung was passionate about researching Lingnan School ink painting, particularly admiring Deng Fen. Cheung Kam Ping, chiefly responsible for outlining works at Wah Tung and having painted countless patterns, laid his artistic foundations form his studies of sketching at the Macau Artist Society before coming to Hong Kong. Chung Lap Kwan is a renowned contemporary ink painter in Hong Kong, having participated in external courses at The Chinese University of Hong Kong in his early years and studied under the master Liu Kuo-sung. Chou Yi Hung is a master ink-wash artist proficient in painting landscapes, flowers and portraits. Ng Kei Ping and Poon Fei Ying are comic book illustrators. These painters reveal how the artistic streams infuse into Gangcai behind mundane manufacturing.

The wide Range of Gangcai Wares

The above illustrates how, under the freedom of 20th century Hong Kong, the diverse traditions of painted porcelain came together and flourished, developing new techniques, so Gangcai could be swift to meet the changing demands from the export markets with the skills of our talented practitioners. Whether adapting to prevailing circumstances or brazenly creating new markets, porcelain factories flexibly adjusted themselves. Aligned with painters’ advancement in artistic mastery with evolving porcelain traditions into remarkable new variations. This small place of Hong Kong thus yielded an exceptionally broad spectrum of styles in our porcelain wares, with the sheer variety of Gangcai wares remaining truly astonishing.