Longtongdong Clay Pot

Longtongdong Clay Pot

　　Strolling through the clay pot market on the streets of Longtongdong Township in Zhaotong City, you’ll find many households stacking all kinds of clay pots at their doorsteps, on counters, or inside their homes: there are double-handled ones, ladle-shaped ones, open-top ones, flanged ones, giant ones, and more. These simple yet exquisitely crafted traditional products come in various shapes, sizes, and styles, all gleaming brightly and captivating to the eye. Not far from Longtongdong Street lies the so-called “Clay Pot Factory,” which is actually a residential area where clay pot artisans live and work. When night falls, the production areas of every household glow with a red light, laughter echoes around each stove, and you can see people using long poles to lift the glowing clay blanks out of the furnace and place them on chaff. Immediately, lids are placed over them, bellows are pumped, and thin wisps of smoke rise as one exquisite clay pot after another takes shape. In recent years, the Longtongdong Clay Pot Factory has introduced a wide variety of new products to meet the needs of both urban and rural markets. In addition to traditional items such as clay pots and ding (tripod) pots, they now also produce hot pot bases, gefei (steamed pot) bottoms, steamers, griddles, flower pots, and medicinal herb pots. Longtongdong clay pots are known for their excellent quality, durability, acid and corrosion resistance, and affordable prices, making them very popular among rural consumers. Besides supplying local customers, these clay pots are also sold to areas such as Ludian and Weining (Zhaotong).