Craftsman carries forward traditional pottery making technique

Xu sees pottery as a carrier to convey the beauty of multiple artistic forms such as calligraphy, painting and carving, and to bear the rich cultural connotation behind the intangible heritage of his hometown. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Xu Ronghong, a Zitao (purple pottery) craftsman, shows a pottery ware in Wanyao Village of Jianshui County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 30, 2022. Xu Ronghong, 57, is an inheritor of the making skills of Jianshui purple pottery, one of the national intangible cultural heritages of China.

Xu was born in Jianshui County. As the fifth generation pottery maker of his family, Xu started to learn the techniques since childhood.

In order to make an excellent piece of pottery, every process including clay preparing, modeling, decorating, firing and polishing all need great concentration. "The procedures are interlocking. One tiny flaw in a certain process would lead to a defective product," Xu said while adding carved decorations to the surface of a pottery ware.

Xu Ronghong, a Zitao (purple pottery) craftsman, checks a pottery ware in Wanyao Village of Jianshui County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 30, 2022.(Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Xu Ronghong, a Zitao (purple pottery) craftsman, makes a pottery ware in Wanyao Village of Jianshui County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 30, 2022. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Xu Ronghong, a Zitao (purple pottery) craftsman, adds calligraphy decorations to the surface of a pottery ware in Wanyao Village of Jianshui County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 30, 2022. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Xu Ronghong, a Zitao (purple pottery) craftsman, polishes a pottery ware in Wanyao Village of Jianshui County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 30, 2022. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Aerial photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows Xu Ronghong, a Zitao (purple pottery) craftsman, adding calligraphy decorations to the surface of a pottery ware in Wanyao Village of Jianshui County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Xu Ronghong (L), a Zitao (purple pottery) craftsman, teaches an apprentice to polish a pottery ware in Wanyao Village of Jianshui County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, June 30, 2022. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)