It has opened many new opportunities for engaging in the ceramic culture and heritage of China. Since that first trip where I met the Taiwanese ceramic artist/curator Hwang Jeng -daw ( an amazing teapot maker who did some training in Yixing) at a Tiger Teapot exhibition at the Noble Seafood Restaurant Shanghai I have been invited to exhibit yearly in the Zodiac teapot shows held in the afore mentioned venue. This again courtesy of Trudy Golley and Paul Leathers. One cant help but be bowled over by the kindness of ones potter and jeweller friends in creating and sharing such amazing opportunities. Well thats it for now . First attempt. I hope to get better over time. Now have to figure out how to let others know I am here.!!
Below is one of the Dragon teapots shown in 2012.
Wednesday May20th
2010
Letter from Jingdezhen
Dear Friends and family
well I am feeling somewhat guilty for not having been in touch but truth be
told every day has been so full of wonderful things to do and see I have been
very remiss in contacting you.
The residency here has
been quite extraordinary particularly with the incredible kindness and support
of our Chinese hosts and workshop staff. It’s been one of the happiest and most
wonderful experiences and I am determined to return again one day in the not
too distant future.
We have been very well fed
and housed in comfortable large bedrooms. A shared kitchen and laundry/bathroom
are cleaned every day. We make our own breakfast but have lunch and dinner
supplied except on Sunday when we go out and forage for ourselves. It’s not too
much of a problem when you can get a restaurant meal for 3 people for 28 Yuan i.e.
about $6. If you are really financially stretched a tasty snack from a street
vendor will set you back about 30 cents!!!
Facilities for shopping
are really good with a great bakery from which we get our regular fix of honey
cakes and yogurt. Milk is a little more difficult to come by but a new
supermarket has everything you could need plus great sesame snack biscuits!!
Yes food gets to be really important when you travel.
Health wise have coped
well with the first week giving us all some minor stomach upsets adjusting to
the food and the Jingdezhen cold. The pollution ends up giving most of us a
persistent cough but since it’s been bucketing down rain on many of the days
that has helped settle the dust. It’s a bit hard to cope with the number of
smokers in shops and restaurants but at least the workshop is smoke free.
Spitting and rubbish on the streets is also a worry but you have to get used to
it. Things are improving as I have been told there are now more rubbish bins on
the streets. Traffic is wild but you get used to it after a while but as a
pedestrian don’t expect anyone to stop for you even on a cross walk. U-turns
over double lines and 2 lane roads turning into 4 are everyday occurrences as
well as driving on the wrong side of the road. Blasting your horn constantly is
also par for the course. Nervous cyclists and motor bike riders use the
footpaths as well as pedestrians and the occasional car.
Re porcelain the place is
full of hundreds of workshops all specialising in various aspects of making
ceramics so it’s been exciting looking into various places where they make
moulds ,glazes, fire kilns, make decals and transfers tools, kiln furniture i.e.
anything you want we can get at incredibly cheap prices. Kiln shelves at$13
when at home the equivalent will be at least $100.
Well you can see I am
having a great time and one more great treat is the foot massage. Goes for 1.5
hours and includes back neck shoulders and lower legs and feet of course for 50
Yuan i.e. $8. Absolutely fantastic. Yes I am making work as well albeit slowly
with all the distractions. One can buy any shape to work on and I have
succumbed to some teapots the rest I have made myself through casting and
throwing the wonderful porcelain clay here with all its foibles. One can get
the glaze man to glaze with the readymade glazes one purchases from the glaze
shop then takes to the kiln master to fire for you. It’s a treat to have all
these services on hand. Okay must away and email this or I will be home before
you get it!!
Love to you all and see
you in June
Sandra xxx
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