Shiwan in Foshan, known as the “Pottery Capital of Southern China,” is home to the Shiwan pottery sculpting craft, a treasured art form of Lingnan culture and a national intangible cultural heritage with a history spanning more than a thousand years. A recent exhibition in Guangzhou showcased the art form, offering visitors an up-close look at more than 100 masterpieces created by 61 Shiwan ceramic masters.

Shiwan ceramic sculptures pursue the artistic ideal of “a hundred forms for a hundred subjects, a thousand faces for a thousand people,” with spiritual essence regarded as the core criterion for evaluating each piece.

On display were classic figures—Li Bai reclining in drunken reverie, ancient scholars playing chess, literati reading, and figures treading through snow. Their flowing robes, vivid expressions, and the delicate rhythmic folds of their garments, paired with crackled and transmutation glazes, evoke an archaic elegance. Even the tropical fish and wild ducks are rendered with remarkable lifelikeness and intricate texture, embodying the very soul of Shiwan figurines: conveying spirit through form.

Running until mid-July, the exhibition invites visitors to experience the beauty of traditional art.