Pottery Firing Craftsmanship

Ⅷ-98Traditional CraftsmanshipRongchang, ChongqingBatch 3 (2011)Extension Item

01 · Historical Records

Rongchang's pottery industry rose in the Song dynasty and has a history of over eight hundred years to this day.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

Rongchang pottery consists of vessels and utensils fired from the Yayu Mountain pottery clay by the people around the Anfu Subdistrict, Rongchang County, Chongqing Municipality. The main raw material of the Rongchang pottery body is the locally unique Jurassic sedimentary clay shale, in two kinds, red and white. After firing, the body shows a reddish-brown or ivory-white color; the body is light and thin yet hard in texture, comparable to porcelain. Represented by the 'fine-clay ware' (unglazed) and the 'glazed ware,' the pottery produced includes four major categories: daily-use pottery, packaging pottery, arts-and-crafts pottery, and garden-architecture pottery. Its production process comprises more than twenty steps, including selecting the clay, sunning the clay, crushing the clay, mixing the clay, screening the slurry, treading the clay, kneading the clay, forming the body, airing the body, polishing, carving decoration, glazing, polishing, loading the kiln, lighting the kiln, smoking the kiln, firing the kiln, observing the kiln, sealing the kiln, unloading the kiln, and inspecting. Rongchang pottery has long enjoyed the reputation of 'light and thin body, bright glaze, and crisp sound,' and is one of China's four great famous potteries. The 'fine-clay ware' has a natural, beautiful luster, simple and elegant; the 'glazed ware' is decorated with various colored glazes, with a sleek, moist glaze, plain, steady, and simple yet generous. Its underglaze decoration is rich in the freehand brushwork of Chinese painting and possesses a strong national character.

Archival Account of Craft Procedures

Its production process comprises more than twenty steps, including selecting the clay, sunning the clay, crushing the clay, mixing the clay, screening the slurry, treading the clay, kneading the clay, forming the body, airing the body, polishing, carving decoration, glazing, polishing, loading the kiln, lighting the kiln, smoking the kiln, firing the kiln, observing the kiln, sealing the kiln, unloading the kiln, and inspecting.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Rongchang pottery making is centered on the area of Anfu Subdistrict, Rongchang County, Chongqing Municipality, with the Yayu Mountain pottery clay as its main raw-material source. Rongchang has since ancient times been a transportation hub in western Chongqing and a pottery distribution center in the western Sichuan basin; its pottery was transported overland to Sichuan–Shaanxi and northern Guizhou, and also shipped out through the gorges via the Yangtze River, so in old times Rongchang pottery sold in several provinces. Rongchang's daily-use wares are mainly jars, bowls, vats, and pots, mostly unglazed, for the sake of durability and low price; the arts-and-crafts pottery is mostly glazed or colored, for display and export. In old times the pottery of the Anfu area was transported overland to Sichuan–Shaanxi and northern Guizhou, and also shipped out through the gorges via the Yangtze, so to this day there is locally the name 'Rongchang Pottery Street,' with workshops each guarding their own wares by household. The main raw material of the body is the locally unique Jurassic sedimentary clay shale, in two kinds, red and white; after firing the body shows a reddish-brown or ivory-white color, light and thin yet hard in texture, comparable to porcelain, represented by the 'fine-clay ware' (unglazed) and the 'glazed ware.'

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

All along, Rongchang pottery has been not only a daily utensil for people but also a work of art of high value. At present, Rongchang pottery practitioners have sharply decreased and there are few successors; many precious pottery varieties are on the verge of being lost. Therefore, rescuing and protecting the traditional Rongchang pottery-making craft is urgently needed.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Pottery Firing Craftsmanship (Rongchang, Chongqing) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗

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