If the soil can speak, what will this red land say? 

 

It is said that in the past, most of the jars for Sichuan pickles and rice in every family of Chengdu came from Dantu Village. Today, an old kiln in the village is still running well, while only very few Chengdu residents know this place now. This village is located in Yongxing Town, Tianfu New Area, Chengdu.

 

The once prosperous village witnessed the occasion of 20 or even 30 kilns firing simultaneously. Now, only one kiln that has been preserved was built in the reign of Emperor Tongzhi over one hundred years ago. As its shape looks like a dragon, this kiln is called "Tongzhi Dragon Kiln".

 

 

Today, Zhou Decai, director of Tongzhi Dragon Kiln, just like his grandfather and father, stays true to this traditional craftsmanship and keeps running the kiln. Chen Shujun, a hand-made pottery master with long hair, has preserved the style of ceramics with Zhou in their own way over the past century.

 

What does Tongzhi Dragon Kiln feature? Unlike mechanized production, products from Tongzhi Dragon Kiln vary in their shapes. All pottery jars are made out of Dantu (a kind of red soil) which contains iron, a substance beneficial to health.

 

On December 2, 2020, the "Yongxing pottery firing techniques" of Tongzhi Dragon Kiln as a whole was successfully listed in the representative projects of Chengdu Intangible Cultural Heritage. The intricate craftsmanship has been passed down from generation to generation like the burning flame of the century-old kiln. These traditional potteries are the epitome of old Chengdu.

 

Edited by Feng Ling