China’s first “gene bank” for ancient ceramics inaugurated in Jingdezhen

On June 11, a “gene bank” for ancient ceramics was officially inaugurated in Jingdezhen, east China’s Jiangxi Province. The gene bank will be co-built by the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute, Peking University, Tsinghua University, the Palace Museum and the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

(Photo/People's Daily APP）

After the gene bank is officially inaugurated, these departments will spend one year and a half completing the first batch of nearly 10,000 specimens of ceramics belonging to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and another three to five years completing all the specimens of ceramics unearthed at Jingdezhen.

In the meantime, they will trace information about the ceramic specimens and build a database for sharing this information after the completion of the gene bank.

Then, by making use of the specimens and applying digital technologies, they will build elaborate models of the specimens for purposes such as displaying at exhibitions and facilitating the protection of cultural relics. Once rendered digitally, the specimens can be 3D printed.

These efforts will lay the foundation for cultural relics protection and research, the duplication of cultural relics, the development of cultural and creative products, and the construction of digital museums.

After the completion of the gene bank, they would also like to carry out extensive cooperation with academic institutions at home and abroad. The gene bank will be of great significance for the establishment of a chronological framework for archeological research into ceramics and R&D on methods to identify ancient ceramics, in addition to the compilation of technological standards for the ceramics industry, the promotion of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) themed on ceramics and the application of ceramic products in cultural and tourism industries.