Rongchang Pottery Making Technique

Chongqing
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Rongchang pottery is a vessel made by the people in Anfu Street, Rongchang County, Chongqing City, using Yayu Mountain clay. Rongchang pottery industry started in the Song Dynasty, with a history of more than 800 years. The main raw material of Rongchang pottery is the unique local Jurassic sedimentary clay shale, which is divided into red and white. After firing, the body is ochre red or ivory white, thin and hard, comparable to porcelain. It is represented by "clay fine goods" (unglazed) and "glazed goods". The pottery produced includes four major varieties: daily pottery, packaging pottery, arts and crafts pottery, and garden and architectural pottery. Its production process includes more than 20 processes such as selecting mud, drying mud, grinding mud, stirring mud, slurrying, stepping on mud, kneading mud, making blanks, drying blanks, grinding, carving, glazing, grinding, loading kilns, lighting kilns, fumigating kilns, firing kilns, observing kilns, closing kilns, unloading kilns, and inspection. Rongchang pottery is known for its "thin body, bright glaze, and crisp sound", and is one of the four famous potteries in China. Rongchang pottery has always been not only a daily utensil for people, but also a valuable work of art. "Mud goods" have natural beautiful colors, simple and elegant; "Glaze goods" are decorated with various colored glazes, the glaze is bright, simple and steady, concise and generous; the underglaze decoration is rich in the freehand brushwork of traditional Chinese painting and has strong national characteristics. At present, the number of Rongchang pottery practitioners has dropped sharply, and there is a lack of successors. Many precious pottery varieties are almost lost. Therefore, it is urgent to rescue and protect the traditional skills of Rongchang pottery making.

Intangible culture related to the heritage

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