Art Out of Fire

By+Ma+Li

Black pottery， the handcrafted earthenware uniquely produced in Yingjing County of Yaan City， southwest Chinas Sichuan Province， has a history of more than 2，000 years. It is made using special clay found only in Yingjing combined with local coal ash which dries a matte silver-gray once fi red in a traditional kiln. Inscribed on the list of Chinas National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008， this pottery-making art is still practiced in a traditional way today.endprint