When Zhao saw the first lot of ceramics, he was delighted.

"He was also born to a farmer's family, and had deep empathy with rural hardship and characteristics. He praised my work, saying it was three-dimensional art that truly captured the spirit of the art," Han remembers.

But Zhao also pointed out areas that Han could fine-tune.

"He told me to put more effort into the eyes, because they were the most important part of the performers' expressions."

It was no easy task trying to capture 300 years of traditional performances in clay. To grasp the essence of erren zhuan, Han and his team needed to plow through reams of research materials, listen to experts and communicate with the erren zhuan performers themselves.

It took him another year before he finished the commission in July 2011.

The whole complex is divided into nine parts, which roughly reflected the four development stages of the art: The late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the period of the early revolution from 1912 to 1949, the founding years of the People's Republic of China after 1949 and the latest developments as the art entered the 21st century.

Han created a total of 800 pieces of ceramics, the work capturing the spirit of the northeast region, with its straight-talking, straight thinking folks, all with a passionate enthusiasm for life and its challenges.

"To show the different characters, we used various techniques including choices of raw material, texture and glaze," Han says.

But even with such attention to details, there were tough hurdles.

For example, Han found it difficult to portray Xiao Shenyang, one of Zhao's most famous disciples.

"Neither the exaggerated style nor the realistic style fitted his caricature. I did no less than 10 attempts to capture him in clay and it took about half a month to get it right." The other characters, Han says, often only took one day.

Han's works at Zhao Benshan's Liu Laogen Museum in Qianmen stretch out along about 100 meters of display space, all with the appropriate murals as background.

For Han, it was a satisfying commission and learning experience. "I was much influenced by Zhao Benshan during the creation process. We both grew up in farmers' families, but he understands the farmers so much better. That's why he is able to create such realistic caricatures of farming life."

But while Zhao's stage characters become fleeting memories on stage and screen, Han's works are tangible works that pay permanent homage to northeastern China's hardworking farmers.

It is a happy marriage of talents.

By Zhao Ruixue (China Daily)

Contact the writer at zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 05/13/2012 page1)