Kiln

Basic Introduction to Tubao PotteryThe pottery factory in Guanyao Town, Qichun County, known historically as “Kiln State,” was established in the second year of Hongwu during the Ming Dynasty (1369). For over 600 years, it has continued unique traditional techniques such as hand-thrown molding, hand-painted decoration, and earth dragon kiln firing. This produces more than 100 types of ceramic goods including jars, stoves, pots, vats, and teapots that are both practically useful and artistically collectible. These products are popular across 16 provinces and municipalities, 74 regions, and six countries, making Qichun County one of the oldest and most famous pottery-producing areas in Hubei Province.Historically, the manual pottery production in Guanyao was mainly distributed around Chi West Lake, with villagers in each town mostly engaged in pottery-making, naming their kilns after their surnames: Xiao Family Kiln, Hong Family Kiln, Shen Family Kiln, Cao Family Kiln, Wang Family Kiln, Wan Family Kiln, Lu Kiln, Li Kiln, and Guan Family Kiln, among more than a hundred other pottery workshops. The clay used for Guanyao pottery is taken from the shores of Chi West Lake, specifically the loess clay that has settled at the bottom of the lake. This clay can be divided into…

Basic Introduction to Ciping Blackened Dates Blackened dates, also known as smoked or charred dates, are made by selecting ripe fresh dates and processing them through boiling, kiln smoking, and air-drying. Just the kiln smoking process alone requires three repetitions over six days, involving “three kiln cycles and six water treatments.” After processing, the blackened dates have a dark purple luster, fine patterns, and a special sweet and fragrant taste. According to old county records: “The county is a major producer of dates. Fresh dates are smoked with fire using a unique technique, which is particularly refined. They are sold in large quantities to southern provinces, with profits reaching hundreds of thousands of bags each year.” The product not only serves the local market but is also popular in Hong Kong, Macao, and Southeast Asian countries and regions. Nutritional Value 1. Blackened dates are rich in vitamins, greatly enhancing the body's immunity and showing notable therapeutic effects for diseases such as cancer of the cardia, lung cancer, and hemoptysis. 2. Blackened dates have a sweet and warm nature, capable of nourishing the liver and kidneys and moisturizing the body. 3. The most significant feature of blackened dates is... Product Characteristics…

Basic Introduction to Jun WareJun ware is one of the five famous kiln types of the Song Dynasty, a precious traditional porcelain craft of the Han nationality, and is known as a national treasure. It is renowned worldwide for its unique glaze transformation art and has long been hailed with the saying "Gold has a price, but Jun ware is priceless" and "A fortune is not worth a piece of Jun ware." It is a unique national treasure porcelain from Shenhoushen Town, Yuzhou City, Henan Province. With its primitive shape, exquisite craftsmanship, complex glaze formula, and the magical glaze transformation that yields myriad colors from a single color, along with the ever-changing patterns and colors resembling lakes, mountains, clouds, mists, people, beasts, flowers, birds, insects, and fish, it is acclaimed as the top of China's "Five Great Porcelains." After the founding of the People's Republic of China, under the direct care of Premier Zhou Enlai, work began on the restoration of Jun ware firing techniques, leading to rapid development of Jun ware. Especially since the reform and opening up, the production techniques and quality of Jun ware have seen epochal improvements, frequently being presented as state gifts around the world.In…

Xie Zhenwei explains the features of a Shabu-Kiln celadon censer as primary school students listen in Shabu Township, Huangyan of Taizhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, July 11, 2024. ( tasteallchina /Weng Xinyang)  Originated in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and flourished in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the Shabu Kilns are considered as transitional kilns during the development of southern celadon industry from Yue Kilns to Longquan Kilns. Xie Zhenwei, a young porcelain artisan and a native of Shabu Township, has been making efforts to reproduce the celadon wares in the style of Shabu Kilns, which is characterized by exquisite carved patterns. To achieve his goal, Xie learned techniques from Yue Kilns and Longquan Kilns and kept using local materials. At present, Xie has successfully made celadon wares like censer, jug and powder boxes, in the style of Shabu Kilns. He also set up a workshop to display the culture of this art. Xie Zhenwei (L) makes a point as students graduated from a technician college look on during a visit in a relic site of an ancient kiln in Shabu Township, Huangyan of Taizhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, July 11, 2024. ( tasteallchina /Weng Xinyang) Xie Zhenwei applies glaze to…