Pottery Firing Craftsmanship · Chinese Craft Stories

01 · Historical Records

The Yelu, Hongyuan, and Sheweizi kiln sites, built in the Ming dynasty and flourishing in the Qing dynasty, can still be traced to this day.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

The Doumu pottery firing craft is a traditional pottery-making skill distributed in Qianshan City, Anhui Province; it is now mainly found in Doumu Township of that city, while also radiating to surrounding areas. Qianshan City lies at the southeastern foot of the Dabie Mountains, with ample sunshine, a long frost-free period, and abundant natural pottery clay rich in selenium and zinc as well as plentiful pine-fuel resources, providing favorable conditions for the formation and development of the pottery industry. The Doumu pottery firing craft mainly comprises steps such as preparing the clay, slow-wheel shaping, coil building, natural air-drying, carving and engraving, bisque firing and glazing, and dragon-kiln firing, among which the clay preparation, kiln loading, and firing steps are the most exacting. Doumu pottery clay is taken from a soil layer five meters underground; before use it undergoes more than six months of natural weathering, as well as multiple preparatory steps including rolling, ageing, sunning, de-impurifying, crushing, and kneading the clay (expelling air). When loading the kiln, one stacks pieces from the slope at the kiln's tail all the way up to the kiln head; large bodies are nested mouth-to-mouth in pairs, with smaller bodies set inside them, and a proper spacing must be left between each stack of bodies and the fuel-charging holes to leave a channel for the flames to wander. Once the kiln is full, the four kiln doors are sealed with bricks and the cracks are plastered with lime mud to prevent air leakage. The dragon kiln is a hundred meters long, with a volume of 450 cubic meters, and burns resinous pine as fuel, which is easy to obtain and high in calorific value; because the flame temperature is hard to control, the artisans sense and regulate it entirely by the pottery-making experience handed down from their ancestors. During firing, five artisans take turns adding fuel, watching the heat, and observing the body color, and at the slightest change they must adjust the fire up or down accordingly. First a small fire is used for two days and two nights of slow firing, to ensure the bodies heat evenly and prevent sinking or toppling. From the third day onward, the 130 fuel-charging holes along the kiln back are opened in sequence and a large fire is used to raise the temperature above 1250°C, causing the century-accumulated crystalline deposit called 'kiln sweat' on the kiln walls to melt and react by infiltration with the pine oil, oxygen, and the metallic elements in the bodies, giving the works unforeseeable variegated fire marks. The history of Qianshan pottery-making can be traced back to the Xuejiagang culture over 5,000 years ago, and more than 2,000 related pottery vessels have now been excavated. Besides absorbing traditional craftsmanship, this item also blends in contemporary fashionable elements, and possesses high artistic and artisanal value.

Documented Process Record

The Doumu pottery firing craft mainly comprises steps such as preparing the clay, slow-wheel shaping, coil building, natural air-drying, carving and engraving, bisque firing and glazing, and dragon-kiln firing, among which the clay preparation, kiln loading, and firing steps are the most exacting. Doumu pottery clay is taken from a soil layer five meters underground; before use it undergoes more than six months of natural weathering, as well as multiple preparatory steps including rolling, ageing, sunning, de-impurifying, crushing, and kneading the clay (expelling air).

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

The Doumu pottery firing craft is a traditional pottery-making skill distributed in Qianshan City, Anhui Province; it is now mainly found in Doumu Township of that city, while also radiating to surrounding areas. Qianshan City lies at the southeastern foot of the Dabie Mountains, with ample sunshine, a long frost-free period, and abundant natural pottery clay rich in selenium and zinc as well as plentiful pine-fuel resources, providing favorable conditions for the formation and development of the pottery industry; the wood-fired kilns around Doumu are mostly built against hillsides, with kiln workers passing the craft down through generations, cutting firewood locally.

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04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Today, the inheritor team of the Doumu pottery firing craft has formed a talent echelon combining the old, the middle-aged, and the young. There are more than 30 veteran artisans aged 60 to 80, and 10 representative inheritors at the provincial, municipal, and county levels. At the same time, a Doumu pottery study-and-practice base has been built locally, mainly carrying out activities such as productive protection, pottery training, and research-and-study experiences; the inheriting subjects are becoming increasingly diversified and the forms of transmission are richly varied. The Doumu pottery firing craft is of great value for studying the local history of pottery-making. While enhancing the community's cultural identity, the development of related enterprises also helps local residents find employment and increase their income, realizing community sharing of the fruits of protection, and demonstrating the item's economic, social, and cultural value.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

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

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

Pottery Firing Craftsmanship (Anqingshiqianshan, Anhui) · China ICH Official Project Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗