Quzhou village revives its century-old pottery culture

Wanyao village in Kecheng, a district in Quzhou, Zhejiang province is reviving its century-old pottery culture, according to local media reports.

The name Wanyao means bowl-making kiln in English, and the village was renowned for making bowls in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

In the very early period of the dynasty when the villager's ancestors escaped from war in North China and settled down in the southern area, they decided to live on pottery making because of the area's fresh water, abundant wood and appropriate soil.

However, in the late 1970s the bowl making industry declined in China and the kilns in the village shut down.

Nowadays, there are still many remains of folk kilns and numerous skilled pottery craftsmen in the village, according to Chen Hongming, director of the village's Party branch.

"In 2018 backed by the local town government, we transformed our primary school into a pottery art discovery center," said Chen.

He also noted that they have also invited experienced craftsmen in the village to explore traditional bowl making skills.

Wu Kaiyi is particularly excited about the local government's idea of reproducing the century-old pottery making skills.

Wu has been involved in the business since 2017 when he constructed the first homestay in Wanyao.

The homestay houses 12 guestrooms named after the village's ancient kilns and decorated to show Wanyao's profound pottery culture.

Wu also helped prepare the pottery art discovery center and compiled stories and tales related to kilns and bowl making in the village.

He suggested that Wanyao village should ramp up its efforts to develop its pottery culture and attract more visitors to experience this century-old handicraft.

Wanyao village in Kecheng, a district in Quzhou, Zhejiang province plans to revive its century-old pottery culture. [Photo/qz96811.com]