In 1990, The World of Collection, a famous Hongkong magazine published some of my works designed in modem folk blue-and-white, accompanied with my article entitled" Notes On The Folk blue-and-White Design ."In this article I wrote:" I love the folk blue-and-white art of Jingdezhen. I am so infatuated with it and always forgets myself whenever I visit Jingdezhen Porcelain And Pottery Museum where store the bowls of early Ming Dynasty with the design of gloud in folk blue-and-white, bowls of Chenhua Period of Ming Dynasty with the design of bamboo and plum tree in folk blue-and-white, dishes of tianqi Period of Ming Dynasty with the design of characters in folk blue-and-white ,and bowls of late Ming Dynasty with the design of landscape in folk blue-and-white and the design of playing baby in underglaze folk blue. These works were naturally and lively wrought. Their simplicity and naiveness, originality and gracefulness appeal to me so strongly that they always give inspiration to my work."
    My practical research based on my strong interest in the folk blue-and-white art benefits greatly from the precious relics of art passed on to us from our forefathers. Now, history endows us with the mission to inherit, explore and develop this art. We would otherwise fail to live up to the hope of our forefathers and therefore feel ashamed to our offspring's and our nation. Since 1984, I've been studying the folk blue-and-white art of the Jingdezhen tradition and specialized in developing, exploring and inheriting this traditional folk art. For over ten years I have been making research on how to develop and improve the folk blue-and-white decoration on the cheap bowls of the old days and make it very much a modem-styled blue-and-white art for the expensive art ceramics. Having experienced failures and pains, success and happiness, my efforts finally bore fruits. After more than ten year' research, I have gathered some personal experience and understanding on the art of modern creation in folk blue-and-white.
    No pains, no gains. My achievements in the art of modem folk blue-and-white creation become influential at home and abroad. My works are accepted and affirmed by the experts and people around me. This achievement, I know very well, only means my past success, as there is no limit to art. I fully understand that I have a long way to go and a new world to begin with.
    A strong fresh wind of modem foreign ceramic art blew into the old ceramic capital of Jingdezhen as China opened its door to the world. Soon there appeared an upsurge of modern ceramic art creation in Jingdezhen, which tended to break away from the conventional ceramic art, Gradually, there appeared in Jingdezhen a circle of artists engaged in the creation with modern ceramic art. As one of the circle, Tried to explore and find out a new path of modern ceramic art for Jingdezhen. My works at tempted to draw the gems from the modern western ceramic art as well as inherit the merits from our tradition. The efforts of my colleagues and me did succeed in opening a new path for the creation of modern ceramic art in Jingdezhen.
    As other arts, the art of modern ceramics should embody the characteristics of universality and nationality as well as regionalism. The development of modern ceramic art in Jingdezhen cannot be cut off from its historical tradition. In face of the impact wave of modern foreign ceramic art, we should theoretically reflect on our tradition and sober-mindedly analyze and scientifically draw from the western culture. Only in this way can we find the intersection point between the ancient and the present, between the Chinese culture and western culture; and only in this way can we explore a path of our own which will be permanent and elastic for the modern ceramic art in Jingdezhen. The modem folk blue-and-white art and modern ceramic art in Jingdezhen are the carriers of modern cultural concepts. Both of them are the artistic phenomena naturally originated from the ideal of art as a return to the primitive and natural simplicity. Both of them have shown their straightforwardness, simplicity, naturalness and easiness in artistic forms. Both of them are the art of fire and clay. Although they follow different paths in creation, they lead to the same goal in art. The skillful combination of them will surely produce a resonant--integrating modern folk blue-and-white art with modern ceramic art to create the new-fashioned modem ceramic art of Jingdezhen's own characteristics. Last year, I was  invited to Yokohama, Japan to hold an exhibition of my personal works, most of which are the experimental creations that blend the modem folk blue-and-white art with modern ceramic art . The success of the exhibition shows the practicability of this experiment and further confirms my faith in pursuing the practice of this art .
    Ceramic art, like other artistic genres, will reach a better realm through the continuous and relentless efforts of the ceramic artists. A good artist of integrity should never stop developing, improving and self-denying on his way of artistic exploration.

                                                       Qin Xilin

                                                         Aug.,1997