Pots as far as the eye can see-Pt.1

I am fascinated by the shear number of pots that are made in Jingdezhen, P.R.C. The unofficial numbers are that 40% of the local economy is ceramic based. (Thats roughly 400,000 people!) Some of these people are potters, some are decorators, some fire kilns, some process clay, and others are in the packing/shipping portion of the economy. The division of labor is very specific with each step of the process being handled by separate groups of workers. (To see an older post of throwers click here. To see decorators click here) While people hand throw a variety of forms most of the pots are slip cast. The images above are of a mold maker and a pair of slip casters. The day we visited pots were lined up down the edge of the train tracks. A train came through which surprisingly didn't cause enough vibrations to knock the pots over.

While the parents work the smaller children attend an open-air Kindergarden located on the same street. I had a great time playing peek-a-boo with the kids. The kids that look blurry in this image where my partners in crime. They would duck under their desks and giggle when I held my camera up. I had to hide behind the edge of the building so they would come out again. The teacher didn't seem to mind so I kept it up for about five minutes before we went on to see the rest of the potteries.