Shi Zhen makes porcelain in her studio in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Shi Zhen, a porcelain artist in Ningbo, is a big name in Ningbo's arts industry, devoting herself to crafting porcelain works and researching new techniques for over 30 years.

Shi was born into a porcelain art family. Shi Yuren, Shi Zhen's great uncle, is a famous porcelain theorist and one of the founders of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute.

When she was 16 years old, Shi Zhen came to study in Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province, a city known for its rich culture in ceramics and porcelain arts and is praised as China's ceramics capital.

Since childhood, Shi's dream has been to replicate Mise celadon, a mysterious-colored celadon related to Longquan celadon from the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The color of Mise celadon looks clear and shiny like jade, however, the original manufacturing techniques for Mise celadon have been lost for hundreds of years.

In 2000, Shi began to research and experiment to recreate Mise celadon in her Ningbo studio. Finally, in 2016 she achieved her goal. Her delicate works have won several awards and were even on display at the G20 summit in Hangzhou last year.

"I'm no different to others, it's just that I'm willing to devote myself to a career I really love," Shi says.

A Mise celadon tea set by Shi Zhen.[Photo/zjol.com.cn]