Selfridge Ceramic Art


The 2006 China Travel Diary to Jingdezhen


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Our one month visiting artist residency in Jingdezhen, China had us staying in a traditional Chinese home in the small village of San Bao. Every day after breakfast, we made the 6 kilometre journey to the workshop. Every day we saw new vistas of the old China in our village. Every day life was very interesting.


The village women washing clothes
(sometimes ours) in the stream that
powers the China stone pounders.
Old historic pots function as a fence.


The duck herder with his flock of
ducklings, in the main street, heading
for the open grazing spaces.
Our local water buffalo on the road
towards Jingdezhen.


Everyone was a "free range" chicken
in San Bao and Jingdezhen.
Ducklings headed home in the evening.


Gateway entrance to a tourist ancient
kiln site replica in San Bao.
Mama hen leads the way.


Old saggers used as fence
for vegetable garden.
Costumed restaurant workers, near our
studio, groom the grass in their spare time.




Kuan Yin deities in the antique
vendors market in Jingdezhen.
Various deities in the antique market.


Painting over-glaze enamels on
the Mao deities.
Mao and his wife ride a rocket from
one of the 1960's Five Year Plan for "we
will surpass the West".

We explored around the defunct factory areas in Jingdezhen and discovered many
incredible vistas. It was a bit humbling as potters to see how so much work had been
abandoned. The rich history of Jingdezhen is, in many cases, piles of shards.


An impromptu sculpture of old mill
stones, probably never used, in the
abandoned National Porcelain Factory.
Over 20 years ago, they stopped firing the
large coal fired kilns. This is the remains of
a porcelain factory that made cups and butter
dishes for a famous Danish butter manufacturer.


Jiangbo and the Swedish couple and their
two children in front of the huge chimney
for the abandoned coal fired kiln.
Heaps of butter dishes on the factory floor.


Porcelain cups litter the landscape.
Entrance to an otherworldly environment of porcelain reject plates.


Awe striking vistas of stacked plates.
Plates for a dinner party of millions.


Never wash another plate. Looks
like installation art to us.
The porcelain pathway between the
old and new buildings.


Tulip Magnolias blooming in March,
behind the police station.
Police car in front of a modern (brutalist) apartment block in Jingdezhen.

Jingdezhen had many methods of conveyance. The traffic was sometimes frightening,
but it seemed everyone paid attention, honked their horns constantly as warning
and only yielded to things larger than themselves.


Cyclist with pole on his bike to
transport pots.
A real working rusty bicycle
with mechanical brakes.


Smoggy traffic viewed from the cab.
Motorcycle taxi drivers bored and
resting in the sun on glaze street.


Sculpture gallery sellers pass the
time with streetside Ma Jong game.
A view of the market street on
a rainy day.


Urban Jingdezhen from the
passenger seat of the cab.
Weaving a jute bed frame near the
carpenter's workshop.


The back route to the studio from
the ceramic institute and food alley.
Public latrine for a nearby apartment
building. It is emptied daily with buckets
into "honey wagons". This is used
as "night soil" fertilizer.

One Sunday, we went as a group to the ancient kiln village of Yaoli. It was a great chance to get
outside of Jingdezhen and see the Chinese countryside and this historic village which is a major
tourist destination for Chinese tourists exploring their history.


This sign explains some of the history of
this area which was a major production area
for the Song dynasty even before
Jingdezhen's rise.
This river, which flows from Yaoli to
Jingdezhen, was used by small boats
to transport kaolin to the potteries in Jingdezhen


A brick structure on the road to Yaoli,
surrounded by refuse. Its use unknown to us.
The river flowing through Yaoli.


Narrow streets from historic Yaoli.
Vegetables drying in baskets on the bridge.


One of the bridges over the river in Yaoli.
A walkway bridge over the river in
Yaoli on a pleasant Sunday afternoon.


A sunken boat next to the walkway bridge.
Chinese children relaxing on the
polished stone seats.


Ancient sagger used as a planter.
Chinese carved woodwork still in
evidence in many historic places.


Mao portrait in the entrance to a
villager's home.
Family casket being made and stored
in old fortress type houses in Yaoli.


Refurbishing Buddha.
This Buddhist monk had appealed to
the Ministry of Relegions to have the
temple in Yaoli.


A blossoming peach tree in Yaoli.
Bamboo shoots looking like living sculptures.

After touring around Yaoli, we went higher in the mountains to a small village
for lunch and a look at the terraced tea plantings.


Water buffalo working mountain rice
paddy with tea bushes behind.
Mountain village vista with lots of vegetation.


First of the season tea picker,
with traditional bamboo basket.
Bamboo baskets, two of which
we couldn't resist.


Clay hydrating pits from 900 AD kiln site.
Firebox of ancient kiln.


Fused stacked bowls from Song dynasty.
Shard pile around ancient kiln.


On the way back to Jingdezhen, we stopped
at the large dragon kiln where workers
make woodfired roof tiles from the sagger
clay as well as "ongi type" paddle pots.
Roof tiles, first made in a bucket
mold and then quatered for
drying and firing.

Back in Jingdezhen, we explored our urban environment, especially the
market place with its exotic variety of tasty and visual treats.


The egg lady with many varieties of
tofu and vegetables in the background.
Small live fish jumping their last jump
in a hot wok. A whole new meaning of fresh.


Fish and parts of fish on sale.
A bucket of tasty live eels.


Just awakened butcher with his
mighty cleaver in front of him.
Fresh bunnies in the marketplace.


Live frogs in netting.


Food alley noodle maker prepares the dough.
Slicing Shanghai style noodles into wok.




Stir fry of vegetables and fresh
Shanghai style noodles.
Ramen making demonstration.


Thinner and thinner ramen with
each doubling over.
The final pull for a perfect meal.




Mao deity, relaxes with a smoke - sculpture
at the gift shop at the Old Kiln Site Museum, Jingdezhen.
Mural at another school
of ceramics, Jingdezhen.


Large Young Mao tile mural in front of
Old Kiln Site Museum, Jingdezhen.
Beautiful bower of bamboo
at Old Kiln Site Museum, Jingdezhen.

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