Gangcai as Amalgam of Different Cultures

The gangcai industry shares a common destiny with the Hong Kong society, evolving together as time went by, as Hong Kong entered a new era and become increasingly globalised, parts of the old working culture and business models have been made obsolete and forgotten with the passage of time, but some have been preserved.  Most painted porcelain factories have modernised in corporate management and trying to turn the whole production process local. Some of the traditional patterns and production techniques of gangcai have been lost but some retained, coexisting alongside new styles and evolving with the times. In the 20th century, as the economy of Hong Kong took off, the cultural interactions combines ideas from the East and West. As an export commodity, the gangcai industry, driven by various economic incentives, incorporated cultural elements from around the world into its designs, the resulting products often broke free from tradition, giving rise to countless wares that blended northern and southern China as well as the East and the West, showcasing distinct cultural characteristics of Hong Kong.  Amidst the liberalism in fashion in the 20th century, gangcai served as a microcosm of Hong Kong itself: a blend of many colours, dazzlingly and magnificent.

Gangcai as Spirit of Hong Kong

Gangcai was a product of the unique historical and geographical conditions of Hong Kong. In the 20th century, Hong Kong was a hub for painted porcelain practitioners, they called Hong Kong their home where their careers in the painted porcelain trade were marked by ups and downs alongside the development of Hong Kong. The achievements of gangcai owed to the concerted efforts of its practitioners in their various roles: factory owners who possessed the foresight to envision new business opportunities to survive between threats; the painting masters with their endless creativity and accommodating mind, who strove for perfection in their craft; the diligent and hard-working technical staff; and the distributors, who opened up new means of trade across the globe and kept on establishing sales outlets. It is through the concerted efforts of the whole industry, which embodies the Hong Kong spirit of diligence, that the splendour of gangcai could be celebrated, creating a golden age throughout the 20th century.

Gangcai as Cultural Heritage

The traditional craft of gangcai originated from Guangdong painted porcelain, which was introduced south to Hong Kong in the 20th century, where the essence has been preserved to this day.  As the firing techniques of both Guangzhou painted porcelain and Chaozhou coloured porcelain have both been included in National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the former has also been included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong, as a reference for the government in establishing priorities when allocating resources and implementing protective measures for the safeguarding our intangible cultural heritage, in particular items of high cultural value and those in urgent need of preservation.  At a time when gangcai finds itself on the brink to disappear due to shifting market trends and a dwindling workforce, and amidst various adverse conditions threatening its survival, it is hoped that the society will cherish this unique cultural treasure and take action to preserve it.