The Joy of Clay in the Mountains – Hua Tao Kiln

Text & Photography by Chen Shuping

 

Walking past a vast expanse of lush green rice paddies and heading toward the mountains, you can see from afar a cluster of houses built along the contours of the hillside. The red bricks at the entrance hint at an ancient charm, while vines climb freely over the eaves, almost turning them into a green roof. “Hua ni xi ke chen, tao ran gong wang ji” (“Pure clay washes away worldly dust, as pottery brings carefree joy”) and “Si tu you qing” (“This land is full of sentiment”), couplets on the gate reveal the essence of this place — Hua Tao Kiln in Yuanli Township, Miaoli County, a cultural destination that embraces nature, communicates with pottery, and lets visitors experience the art of flower arrangement and ceramics, as well as the aesthetics of life, amid beautiful scenery.

 

One flower, one piece of pottery, one scene — beauty is found effortlessly

Upon entering, the garden owner guiding us asked us to pause briefly in the square. Soon, the slow and peaceful rhythm of a distant drumbeat emerged — it was Hua Tao Kiln’s hourly welcoming drum performance. I couldn’t help but admire the owner’s thoughtful arrangement, as this moment of “pausing” seemed to calm the surrounding noise, human chatter, and the restlessness of travel.

 

Established in 1984, Hua Tao Kiln covers an area of about 15 hectares. Its founder, Chen Wenhui, and his wife initially developed a passion for floral art, growing flowers and crafting their own pottery vases. Eventually breaking free from constraints, they integrated the vases with the mountain forest — where each piece of pottery, brick, wood, and scene became spontaneous material. Floral art and pottery became improvised creations of daily life.