An artist air-dries completed cooking pots in his workshop in Pingding county, Shanxi province, Aug 7. [Photo/Wei Biao/Xinhua News Agency]

The pot has a strict crafting procedure, using only selected local clay from Pingding county. Each step in the process is important, and Pingding craftsmen are very experienced.

A local Zhang family runs the biggest remaining workshop in Pingding county, always incorporating new skills and ingredients into the process. The family was the first to bring glazing techniques to the art of Pingding pottery, and this greatly improved the pots' popularity.

We Recommend:

Dough figurines pinched for Chinese Valentines’ Day	A puppeteer and his puppet performance life	Toys in Palace