「Clay Figurines Zhang」
「Clay Figurines Zhang」 is a family which moved to Tianjin from Shanyin, Shaoxing, Zhejiang in the late Qing Dynasty of Daoguang years. They ran a private school in the earlier years. Mr. Zhang Mingshan, the first generation of the family grown up in Tianjin, gained his fame and reputation with his own literary works, paintings and calligraphy and settled in Tianjin. However, it is Mr. Zhang Mingshan’s clay sculpture making skills that were more widely known, becoming the most significant achievements of his that have been remembered by people.
He was excellent in expressing and presenting his colored figurines’ characteristics and their mentality and psychology, seeking motions in the quiescence with abundant changes. His skills were serious and affluent, with the colors being saturated and the works full of refinedness as a whole. His masterpieces included “Jiangmen God”, “Mrs. Sun’s Sword Trial”, and “A Statue of Yan Zhen”. The works of clay figurine Zhang became the tributes to the royal family of Qing Dynasty.
The offspring of Mr. Zhang Mingshan, inherited the family craftsmanship, and had famous figures in every generation. Today, it is Zhang Yu, the sixth generation of the family, who presides over the family business.
The family of clay figurine Zhang has experienced turmoil, wars and development in modern history of Tianjin. While witnessing 190 years of history and finally becoming a renowned artist family, it has profound and far-reaching influence on the sculpture world of East Asian.
—— Zhang Mingshan
Professional Name 「Clay Figurines Zhang」
Mr. Zhang Mingshan， born in his ancestral home of Zhejiang Province， came to Tianjin with his father at the age of six， and began to learn clay sculpture at the age of eight. He was able to undertake artistic creation independently at the age of thirteen， and by the time he was eighteen years old， he had become famous far and wide. The folks gave him the professional name 「Clay Figurines Zhang」.
By inserting the Chinese sculpture style and incorporating Western sculpture techniques， Mr. Zhang Mingshan pioneered the typical style of modern small on-shelf sculptures and became a master of Chinese sculpture.
During his life-long career， he was especially skillful in portraying characters. In addition， he also touched upon such themes as drama characters， social customs and classic literary stories. In “A Brief Biography of Mr. Zhang Mingshan”， Mr. Yan Xiu， a founder of Nankai University，said, “He has a cheerful disposition and a good sense of humor. He likes making humorous remarks when chatting with others， and amidst the laughers， and he was able to roll a piece of clay in his sleeve into a marvelous and amazing portrait sculpture.” Most of his works were given as gifts to his friends， and some were sold at very high prices. Due to the rarity of his works， most were collected by the royal palace or wealthy businessmen. Some were also exported to foreign countries. Mr.Zhang Mingshan was able to lead a fairly well-off life thanks to his rare craft， which made him summoned to Beijing to work and eventually died at an old age， leaving behind numerous legends. His works preserved to the present are all rare treasures of the world.
Mr. Zhang Mingshan passed down the craft to his fifth son， Mr. Zhang Yuting， known as the second generation of 「Clay Figurines Zhang」.
—— Zhang Yuting
Second Generation of 「Clay Figurines Zhang」
Mr. Zhang Yuting， who was chosen by the elders， began to learn the craft form his father at the age of six. He was diligent and conscientious all his life and presided over the old workshop of Clay Figurines Zhang Family for more than sixty years.
Mr. Zhang Yuting was a master at the art of sculpture and， as a young man， was on a par with his father in terms of popularity. He inherited his father’s artistic style， but made innovations in artistic themes. In addition to literary stories and drama characters， he paid more attention to people’s life. He crystallized one vivid and kind folk image after another into artistic works by means of romantic realism. He captured the city images which have disappeared without a trace and left behind for us one glimpse of history after another. These works often send us wondering if that was our city in the past. Those “peddlers and porters” do not have a single shred of vulgarity， but are so serene and peaceful…
Mr. Zhang Yuitng passed down the craft to his son Zhang Jingfu and grandson Zhang Ming. The three generations， with their consummate craftsmanship， made Clay Figurines Zhang Family famous all over the world.
—— Zhang Jingfu
Third Generation of 「Clay Figurines Zhang Family」
Mr. Zhang Jingfu was the son of Mr. Zhang Yuting. He entered the old workshop to learn the craft at a very young age. After completing his apprenticeship， he spent a lot of time in assisting his father’s art creation work. In the meantime， he also produced a large number of works of realistic themes by himself.
During this period， Mr. Zhang Jingfu further expanded the artistic influence of the family. He established branches in Nanjing and Beijing to develop the exhibition and enlarged the artistic influence of “the old workshop of Clay Figurines Zhang Family” in Asia by constant artistic exchanges.
The works of Zhang Jingfu can be found at Helsinki Museum， Tianjin Museum， and Tianjin Clay Figurines Zhang’s Art Gallery.
—— Zhang Ming
Fourth Generation of 「Clay Figurines Zhang Family」
Mr. Zhang Ming，the son of Zhang Jingfu， began to learn in the old workshop at a very young age. He bowed to his father as his master， but for most of the time， he learned the craft from his grandfather Zhang Yuting. Mr. Zhang Ming attained consummate craftsmanship and was especially good at painting colored sculpture of maids of honor. The works depict tranquil and graceful maids of honor with an expression of tenderness in the eyes. The special techniques used enabled such works to be sold far and wide to overseas regions.
After the liberation， Mr. Zhang Ming turned down the request pf Premier Zhou Enlai to work in Beijing. He stayed in Tianjin to raise his children and teach his pupils.
Mr. Zhang Ming passed down the craft to his son Mr. Zhang Naiying.
—— Zhang Naiying
Fifth Generation of 「Clay Figurines Zhang」
Mr. Zhang Naiying， the eldest son of Zhang Ming， was chosen as the heir of the craft at a very early age by Zhang Yuting，the second generation of Clay Figurines Zhang Family. After more than ten years of diligent learning from the elders， he was able to combine the advantages of techniques of various artists and managed to systemize and theorize them. He was a member of China Artists Association，Grade I Artists and Craftsmen of the United Nations，receiver of subsidy for special contribution granted by the government and a member of the seventh and eighth National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference(CPPCC). Many works of his were collected by the National Art Museum of China and he was recruited by the museum as a specialist for restoring ancient clay sculptures.
In the meantime， Mr. Zhang Naiying also worked as the art director of the “old workshop of Clay Figurines Zhang Family”，responsible for quality management of artistic works produced in the workshop. Following more than forty years of collection and arrangement，he has collected excellent works of various generations of Clay Figurine Zhang Family and organized theme exhibitions， speeches and educational activities.
Mr. Zhang Naiying passed down the craft to his son， Mr. Zhang Yu.
—— Zhang Yu
Sixth Generation of 「Clay Figurines Zhang」
Mr. Zhang Yu，a son of Mr. Zhang Naiying， entered the old workshop of Clay Figurines Zhang Family at a very early age to learn traditional painted sculpture techniques from his grandfather Zhang Ming and his father Zhang Naiying. Following more than ten years of traditional training， he gradually began to undertake independent creation.
Mr. Zhang Yu absorbed the advantages of previous generations and adopted traditional techniques inherited from the family. His works were characterized by pure and elegant colors， smooth lines and lifelike figures. Some of his works have been collected in the National Art Museum of China， and he has been crowned by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles as an “Outstanding Inheritor of National Intangible Cultural Heritage”.
Apart from inheriting the painted sculpture techniques of Clay Figurine Zhang Family， Mr. Zhang Yu has been more dedicated to protection of the operating mode of the traditional workshop of 「Clay Figurines」 . In the course of operation under the name of “Clay Figurine Zhang Family”， he attaches more importance to the cultural phenomenon behind it. That is， with a view to preserve the essence of the celebrated sculpture workshop of Clay Figurines Zhang Family in terms of inheritance of techniques， creation of works as well as business operation and sales. At present， Mr. Zhang Yu is the general manager of the old workshop of Tianjin Clay Figurines Zhang’s Painted Sculptures and director of Clay Figurines Zhang Art Gallery.
