The Beauty of Chinese Ceramics

Greenfield Public Library and Artspace are thrilled to welcome Grace (Mingli) Zhu, Scholar of Chinese Classical Aesthetics, Author, and Adjunct Professor at the University of South China for a talk on Chinese ceramics in the library’s Community Meeting Room on Friday, October 9 at 2:30 pm.

Porcelain begins with the simplest materials—earth, water, and fire—but its history crosses centuries, oceans, and cultures. First developed in China, it was once a mystery that European makers struggled for generations to understand. It later traveled around the world, inspiring new designs and becoming part of European and American tables, celebrations, and family memories.
This presentation begins not with a list of dynasties, but with objects people already know: a morning coffee mug, a tea cup, a holiday plate, a treasured set of family china, or something discovered in a museum or antique store. From there, the audience follows the journey of porcelain—from Chinese kilns to ships, foreign markets, museums, and finally back to the cup in our own hands.
The program will end with one piece performed on the guqin, a traditional seven-string Chinese instrument. The music will extend the quiet, spacious feeling found in Chinese porcelain and allow the audience to experience that aesthetic sensibility, not only hear about it.
Grace Zhu is a writer, educator, and scholar of classical Chinese aesthetics. She has developed courses in Chinese porcelain, Song dynasty aesthetics, and Chinese architectural aesthetics, and has participated in cultural heritage and community education projects. She now lives in Amherst and works to make Chinese culture accessible to audiences from different cultural backgrounds.
Greenfield’s very own non-profit community arts school, Artspace, will also be on hand promoting and answering questions about their ceramics program and classes.

For more information, contact Lisa Prolman at [email protected] call (413) 772-1544.

This program, generously sponsored by the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library, is free and intended for ages 18+.