Liu Congbo

       Liu Congbo, born in 1978, is from Linyi, Shandong. He graduated from the Art and Design Department of Shandong Provincial Special Education College and is a prized disciple of Master Wang Yijun, a National Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts. Currently, he serves as an expert committee member of the Chinese Culture Inheritance Committee, a member of the Shandong Arts and Crafts Association, a member of the Engraved Porcelain Art Committee of the Shandong Ceramics Association, a Master of Arts and Crafts of Weifang City, a director of the Weifang Arts and Crafts Association, Deputy Secretary-General of the Weifang Engraved Porcelain Committee, a member of the Linyi Artists Association, and a deaf teacher at Tancheng County Special Education School.
       From the day he was born, he has lived in a silent world. Deaf since childhood, he has never ceased his relentless pursuit of art. Possessing solid foundational skills in painting and artistic appreciation, he developed a particular passion for engraved porcelain. Through perseverance and determination unimaginable to most, he graduated successively from the Arts and Crafts Department of Shandong Provincial Special Education Secondary Vocational School and the Art and Design Department of Shandong Provincial Special Education College. In 2017, he apprenticed under Master Wang Yijun, a National Master of Chinese Arts and Crafts and a Master of Chinese Ceramic Art, embarking on more professional and systematic training and carving out his own artistic path.
       His world is silent, yet his spiritual world is vibrant and colorful. Unable to express his emotions through speech, and unable to hear the “clinking” sounds of chiseling during his creation of engraved porcelain... he nonetheless experiences unique joy and fulfillment in the creative process that others can hardly comprehend. With his engraving tool in hand, Liu Congbo has realized his life’s value. His engraved porcelain art integrates painting, calligraphy, and carving—essentially calligraphy and painting executed with a knife instead of a brush. In his silent world, he quietly pursues the highest realms of engraved porcelain art. His works have been exhibited and awarded in numerous national competitions, earning widespread admiration and praise, and he is hailed as “the foremost engraved porcelain artist of Linyi.”
       Engraved porcelain is a comprehensive art form integrating calligraphy, painting, and seal carving. Using specialized tools, artists carve vivid, lifelike images onto various porcelain surfaces, capturing figures, landscapes, flowers, birds, insects, animals, and calligraphy with unique techniques and distinctive charm, earning it the title of “magical art.” Through pen and paper, Liu Congbo “says” he has been engaged in engraved porcelain for 20 years. In the early stages of his career, his artistic vision was relatively narrow, his thinking unclear, and his works lacked emotional subtlety. After starting a family and becoming father to two children, Liu developed a stronger sense of responsibility. Inspired by his children, he gained deeper insights into life, which significantly enhanced the quality of his creations.
       Regarding his award-winning piece “Jiangnan Water Town,” which won the gold medal at the 4th China Engraved Porcelain Art Exhibition in 2019, Liu Congbo explained that a friend traveling to southern ancient towns shared photos with him—white walls, black roof tiles... a beauty starkly different from the north. Captivated by these images of Jiangnan scenery, Liu began in-depth research, studied relevant artworks, and infused his personal emotions and ideas into the work, skillfully blending motion and stillness, reality and abstraction. “Jiangnan Water Town” uses black-and-white techniques to recreate the tranquil charm of Jiangnan’s bridges, flowing water, and whitewashed houses with black tiles. Visually employing a bird’s-eye perspective, the piece conveys a sense of depth and timelessness. In execution, it harmoniously integrates dots, lines, and planes with layered, rhythmic chisel strokes—rustic yet bold, elegant yet refined—faithfully capturing the ancient ambiance of Jiangnan water towns.
       Through years of dedication, Liu Congbo has not only continuously refined his engraved porcelain skills but also built a happy and colorful life. He has received commendations from disability federations at all levels and has been featured in numerous media outlets, including China Engraved Porcelain Art Network, Phoenix News Shandong Channel, and China.org.cn.

Recent Awards for Engraved Porcelain Works:
       September 2019, “Jiangnan Water Town” won the Gold Award at the 4th China Engraved Porcelain Art Exhibition (“Shiyi Group Cup”);
       July 2019, “Portrait of Mao Zedong,” “Portrait of Deng Xiaoping,” and “Qinyuanchun·Snow” were collected by the Bohai Corridor Revolutionary Struggle Exhibition Hall;
       April 2019, “Hundred Treasures Gathered” won the Gold Award at the 11th China (Shandong) Arts and Crafts Expo;
       September 2018, “Portrait of Confucius” won the Silver Award at the 3rd China Engraved Porcelain Art Exhibition “Blooming on Porcelain: Commemorating 40 Years of Reform and Opening-up”;
       May 2018, “Jiangnan Water Town” won the Gold Award at the 10th China (Shandong) Arts and Crafts Expo;
       September 2017, the “Ten Marshals” series won the Silver Award at the 2nd China Engraved Porcelain Art Innovation and Design Competition (“Belt and Road”);
       May 2017, “Portrait of Qi Baishi” won the Gold Award at the 9th China Arts and Crafts Expo;
       May 2017, “Wealth and Abundance” won the Gold Award at the 2nd Shandong Disabled Persons’ Arts and Crafts Exhibition;
       March 2017, “Portrait of Qi Baishi,” “Thousand-Handed Guanyin,” and “Portrait of Xi Jinping” won Silver, Bronze, and Bronze Awards respectively at the 1st China (Linyi) Ceramic Art Innovation Competition (“Jintai Cup”);
       September 2016, “Hundred Treasures Gathered” won the Bronze Award at the 1st China Engraved Porcelain Art Innovation and Design Competition in Zibo;
       May 2016, “Portrait of Li Lianjin” won the Gold Award at the 8th China (Shandong) Arts and Crafts Expo;
       June 2013, “Reminiscence of Red Cliff” won the Grand Prize at the China Outstanding Teachers Fine Arts, Calligraphy, and Photography Exhibition;
       May 2013, “Qinyuanchun” won First Prize at the National Teachers Fine Arts, Calligraphy, and Photography Competition;
       October 2012, “Auspiciousness and Good Fortune” won the Silver Award at the 3rd National Teachers Painting and Calligraphy Art Competition.