Rongchang Pottery

Rongchang Pottery

　　The birthplace of Rongchang pottery is Anfu Town, formerly known as Ciyao Li before the Qing Dynasty. The earliest historically documented pottery dates back to the Han Dynasty, flourished widely during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and reached its peak in the 1970s. Over 100 years ago, it was sold to Southeast Asian regions, and from the 1960s onward, it was exported to the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Japan, and other countries. It is now the largest ceramic production base in the entire southwestern region. When it comes to pottery, the people of Rongchang speak with pride and joy.

　　Rongchang has four treasures: folding fans, pottery, summer cloth, and pigs. Rongchang pottery, along with Yixing purple clay pottery from Jiangsu, Jianshui pottery from Yunnan, and Qinzhou Nixing pottery from Guangxi, is collectively known as China’s Four Famous Pottery Types. With an 800-year production history, Rongchang pottery boasts even richer cultural significance. “Anfu Market stretches five li long, lined with rows of fine clay pottery,” and “Front mountains yield ore, back mountains yield coal, middle holds kilns firing pots”—these folk songs passed down since the Song and Qing Dynasties vividly depict the scale of Rongchang’s pottery production and the prosperity of its trade at the time. As a result, Rongchang County is ranked among the Four Great Pottery Capitals, alongside Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, Yixing in Jiangsu, and Foshan in Guangdong.

　　Rongchang pottery mainly produces daily-use pottery, packaging pottery, arts and crafts pottery, and garden architectural pottery. Due to the strong viscosity and plasticity of Rongchang’s clay, and the non-leakage and excellent preservation qualities of its fired containers, it has long been honored as the “clay essence.” People thus gave Rongchang pottery the nine-word praise: “as thin as paper, as bright as a mirror, and as resonant as a chime.”

　　Rongchang pottery comes in a wide variety. Among the craft pottery, the unglazed “clay essence ware” features natural colors, giving off a simple and elegant feel. The “glazed ware,” decorated with various colored glazes, presents a crystal-clear appearance, emits a crisp and pleasant sound when struck, and features decorations that are generous, rustic, and rich in variation, embodying a strong ethnic style and local characteristics. The product range also includes over ten types of daily-use items (such as steaming bowls, drums, tea sets, wine sets, rice bowls, and spittoons) and smoking accessories. Products are divided into two main categories: “clay essence ware” and “glazed ware.” The various decorative pieces are ingeniously designed, beautifully shaped, and exude a vibrant sense of life. Currently, Rongchang has established the Pottery Capital Art Museum, a pottery industrial park, pottery bars, and a pottery market to better leverage the advantages of Rongchang’s pottery craftsmanship and culture.

　　Rongchang Pottery

　　Anfu Subdistrict Cultural Service Center, Rongchang County

　　13097894

　　Pottery