Lifelike glass insect
Glass flowers in Renli
One old saying proves the glories and influence of traditional Zibo glass culture at home and abroad. However, when the cabbage and grasshopper carries the message of good luck has been a long-term image of glass art, nothing we can do for glassware to appeal to people again. To change this situation, glass producers represented by Zibo Renli Cultural & Creative Co., Ltd created a new glass processing techniques called “Three Colors in Renli”, decorating glassware with grisaille, ink and oil paintings. Boshan Ceramic and Glaze Art Center, Renli Glaze Experience Center and Renli Mansion were built to revitalize the glass industry of Boshan.
Though Boshan once enjoyed quite a reputation for its glass culture, large craftsmen lost their stage for the bankruptcy of Boshan Art and Glaze Factory. Like other unemployed craftsmen, Xu Yuezhu, who has engaged in this industry for 30 years, also established his own studio. But it is not so easy to operate a studio without experience, money and relationship. Later Xu met Jiao Xin, president of Renli Cultural & Creative Co., Ltd, whose idea of glass art resonates with Xu’s, and then Xu moved his studio into Renli Company.
Soon after, Xu and Jiao repeatedly visited the world-famous art master Han Meilin. Finally, Han was deeply attracted to the works taken by Xu and he came to Boshan in 2014 to exchange artistic idea and guide Xu step by step. Then the grisaille-drawing glassware that shocked the world was invented in Renli.
But Xu didn’t stop his pace; he created ink-drawing and oil-drawing techniques with other two famous masters in 2015 and 2016 respectively. “There is no way out for the glass art of Boshan living only by export. Somebody has to step forward and endow the glass art with higher cultural value,” said Jiao Xin.
Renli has developed a one-stop cultural and creative industrial cluster covering culture and creation, experience of making glass ware, travel and shopping, entertainment and leisure and accommodation.
