Advertisement
Published: July 29th 2011
Edit Blog Post
Pieces in my studio.
Slip cast chicken feet. I can't believe I have been here just a little over two weeks now and I am sad to say I only have about 12 more days left in Jingdezhen. I felt like it took me about a week or so to get situated and gather materials and now finally my studio is in full making mode. I just got some test results out of the kiln and I am so excited, super white porcelain ready for some decoration. I initially hoped to create a small body of work here but I have accepted that this won't be possible. The way the clay feels and builds is totally different than anything I have ever used before, many techniques and materials are particular to China and there are just way to many things to try out! I will be coming home with some new pieces and I can't wait to share them with you!
Last Monday my fellow residents and a few foreigners renting studios in the city, decided to get out of the city, hire a driver, and take a road trip to Wuyuan. Located about 3 hours east of Jingdezhen, Wuyuan is known for its old villages from the
Song and Ming dynasties and overall beautiful scenery.
Along the way we made a few stops at a carving factory and an umbrella factory. The carving factory smelled wonderful and all the wood items were hand carved from cedar wood. This factory mostly carved masks and small statues of gods and deities. These are used in homes and businesses to protect and ward off evil spirits. The masks were so beautiful and I loved how you can see all the characteristics of the wood. Unfortunately they get heavily surfaced with bright paint and shiny shellac.
Our next stop was the Wuyuan Jialu Craft Umbrella Co, a factory that produced paper and vinyl umbrellas that are used for special occasions like weddings and for everyday shade from the sun. (Chinese women don't like to be in the sun very long for they find dark skin to be a negative attribute.) This factory's building looked like an old abandoned school house and each classroom served a different purpose.
Where as men worked in the wood carving factory, only women worked in the umbrella factory. Certain rooms were devoted to stringing the bamboo frames of the umbrella and these women
Wood carving factory.
He smokes when he works as so most men in China. worked so fast. In other rooms we found women glueing and ironing the vinyl coverings, covering some fabric with super stinky oil to make oil cloth, umbrella painters and decorators, and final constructors that wove the fabric coverings to the bamboo forms. The factory said they ship these umbrellas to shops in Beijing and Shanghai and the mark up prices for their sale in these big cities was pretty hefty.
Everyone knows that I love umbrellas, I even have a small tattoo of one on my wrist, but I was slightly disappointed in the umbrella factory. I loved the bamboo structures but I was not in love the the bright, neon plastic coverings some of them had. Nonetheless, I still bought a small oil cloth one with a bright blue and orange floral pattern.
After our factory tours we headed out to the Han village, a village that during the Cultural Revolution had some of its important statues defaced. This happened because the government didn't want statues of the old to have power so they knocked off the heads of all animals and gods that held significant symbolism in Chinese culture. This village was known for having many
politicians and important people living in it so it was always considered pretty well off financially. It is also know for having many older people in it and in Chinese culture having an elder over 70 years old in your household is considered a treasure.
When I asked how these elders stayed so healthy and lived such long lives they just said that they were healthy. I think a major contributor to their health was the fact that they were intellectuals and didn't have to farm or work in factories, their village has water running through it and there was such a great sense of community. Everyday the women walk down from their homes and to the river to wash dishes, clothes and just about anything else that needs a rinse. During this time they talk and chit chat and wait for their husbands to come home from dinner. At the bridge in this village all the elders gather and discuss any important business in the village. This sense of community is even scene in the architecture of its dwellings. All the corners of the buildings are rounded, not squared off because you do not want to have hard
Wood carving factory.
He smokes when he works as so most men in China. corners next to your neighbors. Nice isn't it?
Also, the Chinese word for politician is also the same word for coffin. So in this village it was common to find a coffin in people's homes.
Our next stop was the Rainbow Bridge, a bridge built during the Song dynasty and has now because a tourist attraction for the Chinese. We had to pay a small entrance fee and the most interesting part of this was after we paid we had to walk up to the turn stall and have our index finger scanned. No idea why. The bridge and scenery was gorgeous and we loved soaking up the fresh mountain air.
We made one more stop to a village called the Li village but by the time we got here I was pretty tired. I was also fighting a stomach bug so by this time I remember very little. It was a beautiful village much similar to the Han village.
Another bumpy three hour car ride and we made is safely back to Jingdezhen.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.159s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 8; qc: 49; dbt: 0.1174s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb