Innovation and efforts bring fire to the renaissance of Tongguan Old Street

Determined to merge this ancient method with Tongguan's heritage, Liu Jiahao spent years experimenting. "My first year, four entire kiln-loads were complete failures," he laughs.

In 2015, he built what he claims was Hunan's first modern smokeless wood-fired kiln, a hybrid design balancing tradition with environmental standards. His studio symbolizes the street's new ethos: reverence for the past, not bondage to it. Small teapots from his kiln sell for over 1,000 yuan each, and his creations have found buyers from Europe to North America.

His 'Mudman Liu' studio now sees annual revenue surpassing 5 million yuan, with over half flowing through e-commerce livestreams.

Liu Jiahao's innovation extends to technology. He has collaborated with Hunan Normal University and employs 3D printing and digital modeling to design new forms. "We used 3D printing to create the intricate molds," he says.

He also launched co-branded products, such as a series of ceramic-sealed liquor jars with a famous local distillery, and delicate ceramic fridge magnets featuring classic Changsha kiln motifs, all of which have become popular with the street's rising number of visitors.

A few doors down, another master, Peng Wangqiu, a provincial-level Tongguan porcelain-firing inheritor, has dedicated himself to the union of porcelain and another Hunan specialty: dark tea.

In his bustling studio, visitors knead clay as spinning wheels fling droplets of water.

"Culture stems from life's needs," Peng says. He adds that traditional Tongguan ware — large water vats, pickle crocks and roof tiles — are born from agrarian daily life. "As society urbanizes, we must find new needs to serve," he explains.

For Peng, the answer is creating vessels for dark tea. He points out that the porous, unglazed interior of Tongguan pottery is ideal for brewing Hunan's fermented dark tea, allowing it to "breathe" and enhancing its earthy aroma.

"Hunan tea needs Hunan ware," he states, outlining his research into building a complete "Hunan tea culture system". He has found that his customers are instinctively drawn to an interaction with the clay, water, and fire at his place.

The local government's revitalization efforts over the years transformed the old street into a living exhibit, with walls embedded with pottery shards in mosaic patterns and lamp posts shaped like dragon kilns that climb the nearby hills.

New spaces like the Tongguan Youth Hub, managed by Liu Jiahao's team, regularly host salons and workshops, knitting a community of young creators.

Whenever he is asked why he doesn't strictly follow the tradition to the letter, he says he believes his family's heritage shouldn't be confined by old craftsmanship. "Innovation is inheritance. We have to make things the younger generation connects with," he says.