Ancient Jieshou painted pottery revives in modern time

Xing Hui (front), an engraver and painter of Jieshou painted pottery, demonstrates her techniques at the painted pottery museum in Tianying Township of Jieshou City in east China's Anhui Province, May 29, 2024. (Jieshou Integrated Media Center/Handout via Xinhua)

The making of Jieshou painted pottery can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Tianying Township in Jieshou City of east China's Anhui Province was the main production site of Jieshou painted pottery in history. The technique of making Jieshou painted pottery was inscribed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

To inherit and revive the technique, the local inheritors have innovated the shape and carving patterns to meet the demand of modern society. The cultural and creative products designed by these inheritors are also favored by consumers.

Nowadays, Tianying Township not only remains as a production place of Jieshou painted pottery, but also accommodates a museum for displaying potteries and a base for inheriting and reviving intangible cultural heritage, which makes the township a popular destination for study tours.

Instead of being a local-made handicraft, the Jieshou painted pottery is integrated into school courses, decorations in parks, and museum exhibits. The ancient Jieshou painted pottery is reviving in modern time.

Students learn about Jieshou painted pottery making at Fuyang Science and Engineering School in Jieshou City of east China's Anhui Province, May 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

Xing Hui (front), an engraver and painter of Jieshou painted pottery, demonstrates her techniques to children of a study tour at the painted pottery museum in Tianying Township of Jieshou City in east China's Anhui Province, May 29, 2024. (Jieshou Integrated Media Center/Handout via Xinhua)

Xing Shuqin, a provincial inheritor of Jieshou painted pottery, shows a tea pot made by herself at the painted pottery museum in Tianying Township of Jieshou City in east China's Anhui Province, May 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Fu Tian)

Lu Hua, a provincial inheritor of Jieshou painted pottery, makes a painted pottery craft at Jieshou City in east China's Anhui Province, May 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

Lu Qunshan, a national inheritor of Jieshou painted pottery, introduces painted pottery works at Jieshou City in east China's Anhui Province, May 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

Xing Shuqin (2nd L), a provincial inheritor of Jieshou painted pottery, instructs students of a study tour on the engraving and painting of pottery at the painted pottery museum in Tianying Township of Jieshou City in east China's Anhui Province, May 29, 2024. (Jieshou Integrated Media Center/Handout via Xinhua)

Lu Yilin, a city-level inheritor of Jieshou painted pottery, checks on painted pottery works outside the kiln in Jieshou City of east China's Anhui Province, May 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Fu Tian)

Lu Yilin, a city-level inheritor of Jieshou painted pottery, shapes clay in Jieshou City of east China's Anhui Province, May 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Fu Tian)