China built a 'gene bank' of ancient ceramics

The gene bank located in Jingdezhen town, Jiangxi province, will store data on nearly 20 million pieces of ancient ceramics.

Some pieces of Ming Dynasty ceramic (1368-1644) are on display in Jingdezhen.

The "gene bank" of ancient ceramics will be co-developed by the Jingdezhen Royal Kiln Institute, Peking University, Tsinghua University, the Palace Museum, and the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics under the Academy of Sciences. China, the authorities said on June 11.

According to Weng Yanjun, President of the Jingdezhen Royal Kiln Institute, more than 100 "gene" information can be traced through a single piece of ancient ceramic, providing detailed information about the raw material, glaze and quality. color. Through that, the researchers hope to restore the calcination process and raw material recipe.

The bank will also use X-ray fluorescence analyzers and other sophisticated equipment to create "gene" samples in both physical and digital forms. It is expected that the first batch of nearly 10,000 samples of antique ceramics will be released within the next year and a half.

Two Ming Dynasty ceramics were restored at the Canh Duc Tran Royal Kiln Institute.

"After completing the gene bank, we want to share the data with domestic and foreign academic institutions to promote research projects on the global ceramic civilization and build an international platform. for cultural exchange of ceramics," emphasized Weng.

Canh Duc Tran is known as the "ceramic capital". This town in northeastern Jiangxi province has a 1,700-year history of producing "best quality Chinese" ceramics and once specialized in imperial service.