Potter's wheel spins out ancient culture

LANZHOU — Potters in Lintao county are using traditional techniques to make pots in the ancient Majiayao style, shaping the clay on a spinning wheel, then painting the pots with a brush and finally firing them in a kiln. The process involves dozens of steps, but the end result is pots that are, at first glance, indistinguishable from original pieces made thousands of years ago.

"Majiayao painted pottery witnessed the Chinese culture of 5,000 years ago, and it should be handed down through the generations," said Yan Xiaohu, from Lintao county in Gansu province.

His family has been in the pottery business for four generations. His father, 64-year-old Yan Jianlin, has practiced the craft for 36 years.

Living by the Taohe River, where red clay can easily be found, the old Yan remembers watching his father and grandfather making pots. He picked up the skill at a young age, but the trajectory of his life was altered in the 1990s when he met staff from the cultural center of Lintao.

"They asked me if I could make several painted pottery artworks for the center," he recalled, noting that this was the first time he had heard about Majiayao culture.

One of the renowned archaeological discoveries in the province, Majiayao culture mainly developed in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and its tributaries, with glamorous painted pottery its most striking feature.

Accepting the challenge, Yan Jianlin set about studying Majiayao culture, visiting the museum and the Majiayao relic site multiple times. He bought books to study the shapes, materials and patterns of the pottery.

"The pots I made previously were rough and durable, but making painted pottery ware is delicate work," he said.

To make pottery in the Majiayao style, he used red soil gathered by the Taohe River, then painted symmetrical patterns with mineral paint.

"The brushes used centuries ago must have been made with animal hair, and they were harder than those we use today," said Yan Jianlin, adding that it is next to impossible to recreate the delicate touch of the ancient people.

In spite of his modesty, the pottery produced by Yan Jianlin and his family has been very popular in recent years, and they had to work hard to keep up with orders. Each year, they use two to three cubic meters of earth to produce more than 3,000 pieces.

Orders have been coming in from across the country. One recent order from a museum was for 1,000 pieces of painted pottery, which is likely to take the family at least half a year to complete.

In Yan Jianlin's two-story house, five rooms on the ground floor are devoted to the craft, either converted into studios or used to store artwork, which is piled on sofas, tables and windowsills.

Throughout the decades, however, Yan Jianlin and his family have stuck to the traditional technique, using an old foot-powered turntable and firing the pots in a wood-fired brick kiln. Once the kiln has been lit, the artisans must watch it for more than 10 hours.

"In this way, we can ensure the color and texture of the painted pottery is close to that of the ancient pieces," said Yan Xiaohu, the son.

He is even more meticulous than his father, spending twice as much time on average making a single piece, which can attract collectors from thousands of kilometers away.

For the family, making pottery is not just a job, but an indispensable part of their life.

"A day without pottery would make me feel uncomfortable," said Yan Jianlin.

These days, he also visits local schools, teaching intangible cultural heritage. In his spare time, the old man sits in the yard with his wife, working together at the potter's wheel or painting an unfinished pot.

Meanwhile, Yan Xiaohu is busy with innovation, creating pottery tea sets or devising new painted items. "However innovative they become, these pottery pieces still bear the marks of Majiayao culture," he said.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Majiayao culture. Swedish archaeologist Johan Gunnar Andersson made the discovery in 1924, finding sophisticated painted pottery in various shapes in Majiayao village, after which the culture was named.

For practitioners like Yan Xiaohu, this is a time to celebrate an artform deeply rooted in the local area. However, he is also insistent that it should not stand still.

"The ancient art should not only be handed down, but revitalized," he said.

Xinhua