Chinese Porcelain Collection
Nowdays about one million pieces of porcelain is manufactured in the city of Jingdezhen every day of the year. About half of this is exported. They use about 1000 different patterns and about 2500 different shapes. The handicraft proportion is large even in the modern industries. Not one single moment of the work has completely been taken over by machines despite the fact that the work is heavy and requires large skill. Even the levigating, the kneading of the clay to mix it and remove air bubbles, are still made by hand - or foot - at some places.
The average age of the workers in the factories appears to me to be rather low. Most often young women are seen sitting along the transport belts and with fast fingers adding handles, decoration, glazing and doing the final finishing of the pieces.
Men are handling the rather few machines there is and the firing of the finished pieces. Older men and women does sculpting, hand molding, hand decoration and generally seem to keep the old arts and handicrafts alive.
Ceramic production
During 1991 and 1992 I had the privilege to visit the city of Jingdezhen and its surroundings as an interested student of Chinese porcelain functioning as expedition photographer in a small group of scholars and students of Oriental art, the most notably being Bo Gyllensvärd, former head and founder of The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm. All pictures illustrating this article is taken then.
Text and photos © Jan-Erik Nilsson, Göteborg 1991, 1992 and 2000.