• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

  • Home
  • About
  • Shop
  • Journal
  • Contact
  • Tutorials
  • 0 items$0.00

17 Transformers autobot in San Bao? What the?

May 23, 2017 by Deanna Roberts Leave a Comment

San Bao Artist Museum - Jingdzhen - Deanna RobertsEntrance to Ancient Artist Museum – San Bao (© Deanna Roberts 2017)

Transformers in San Bao?  What the?  Keep reading…

So, you’re off on a day trip and someone’s suggested San Bao, about 15 mins from Jingdzhen.  I guess you then wonder what to do in San Bao.  Well… there’s plenty to keep you occupied.  You can always hire a taxi to take you there, jump on the back of a motorbike or pedal your own way.  San Bao is only a short distance from Jingdezhen and when you head up the main drag and hang a left, you’ll see that big blue sign on the road that announces the entrance to San Bao.

Road to San Bao - Jingdezhen - Deanna Roberts

Road to San Bao (© Deanna Roberts 2017)

In 2015 the amount of roadworks undertaken in San Bao was huge.  The roads certainly left a lot to be desired but have since been fixed up a great deal and make travel that much more pleasant.  Be sure to find out what you can about the area before departing.  There’s lots of history in San Bao, lots of stories and loads to look at.

Pop by the Ancient Artists Museum adjacent to the Hang Guang Ceramic Cultural Center and explore the grounds.  The entrance road may seem long but the scenery is gorgeous and the mountains in the background are beautiful when lit up by the sun.  Follow the path around to the left and you’ll see the artisans at work, displaying the old and traditional methods of craftsmanship.

Raodway entrance into the old part of the museum (© Deanna Roberts 2017)

(© Deanna Roberts 2017)

(© Deanna Roberts 2017)

(© Deanna Roberts 2017)

There’s a great deal to see and the artists there may even offer you a paintbrush to have a go yourself.  It’s really interesting to watch and you can only admire the patience and skill these artisans have.  They spend hours and hours perfecting their craft and showing it off on beautifully crafted ware.

(© Deanna Roberts 2017)

Venture out the back of the museum too.  The buildings have been constructed in a very traditional manner using materials that look like their going to flake off at any time, yet have stood the test of time and endured the elements.

(© Deanna Roberts 2017)

Not sure whether this workman was fixing the road or weeding the path, but either way it was hard work and lots of elbow grease as he painstakingly sat in the scorching sun chipping away at the sandy mortar between each stone block at his feet.

(© Deanna Roberts 2017)

Hang Guang Ceramic Cultural Experience Centre (© Deanna Roberts 2017)

Be sure to look out for things along the way too and take your camera; you just never know what you might find!

Transformers at timber yard and gallery - San Bao, Jingdezhen - Deanna Roberts

‘Transformers’ autobot figure on the road to San Bao (© Deanna Roberts 2017)

Transformers in San Bao?  What the?  This ‘Transformers’ autobot figure pictured above was found behind this wall (below) – you can just see a glimpse of the autobot on the right of the archway.  It was the archway that caught my eye straight away – the work that must’ve gone into it to put it together… and keep it stable no less!  Amazing workmanship.  Once you enter the timber yard, you’ll see little pockets of galleries along the side and a few bits of artwork scattered across the path.  A fascinating place to visit.

San Bao timber yard and gallery entrance

Timber yard and gallery entrance on the road to San Bao (© Deanna Roberts 2017)

Filed Under: Jingdezhen Tagged With: hang guang ceramic cultural center, jingdezhen, san bao, timber yard in jingdezhen, transformers

16 Where to find food in Jingdezhen

May 11, 2017 by Deanna Roberts Leave a Comment

It’s really daunting when you arrive in a strange country, let alone a strange city where time appears to have stood still in many ways.  Not being able to speak the language is one thing but not being able to find or ask for food that you need is another.  This blog article ‘Where to find food in Jingdezhen’ is more like a list of what to look for, look out for and where to find it.  There is a wealth to choose from.  Jingdezhen has no shortage of restaurants or food outlets, whether it’s on the street or in the most sophisticated of restaurants.  Over the years the number of restaurants and cafes have grown from a meagre few to buckets of them… the choice is huge and dining out is certainly a popular pastime.

So, let’s kick it off…

Wang Lao Ji herbal tea - Deanna RobertsOne thing I discovered at a restaurant in San Bao was the drink Wang Lao Ji.  It’s not everybody’s favourite thing but it was certainly mine.  I was ever so pleased to find out I could buy it back in Australia at the local Asian supermarkets!  It’s also apparently for calming the body’s changes in temperatures and restoring body balance and ‘climatic normality’.  I really enjoyed it with most of the food I ate anyway.

It’s pretty much available everywhere.  If you don’t find it at a local street shop you’ll find it many restaurants and cafes.  It’s like the Coca-Cola of China.

Try it!

© Deanna Roberts 2017

Street food in Jingdezhen - Deanna Roberts

Definitely give the street food a go.  Ok… some of it you need to be wary of – eg if it’s been out in the open for a while.  Go for the freshly cooked stuff.  This guy here was making amazingly thin pancakes and filling them with his special sauce, chilli, chopped greens and a crunchy crostini-type thing.  Whatever it was, it was yummy.

Pancakes, dumplings, fish, you name it.  Street food has soooooooooooo much on offer.  Many of the the street food vendors are selling food at night and also many during the day.  You can find a few dotted along the main drag and also at each end of the Sculpture Factory road.  The markets also have a lot on offer and street food there is very popular with people queuing up on occasion… especially for the fresh stuff.

© Deanna Roberts 2017

Dumplings and Maije - Deanna Roberts

© Deanna Roberts 2017

Now you just never know who you’re going to meet.  Maije and her husband found me in my residency studio after asking around.  A group of us had visited her hubby’s studio a few weeks beforehand and I’d admired his work, asked about it and posed for a few photos.  Next thing I was at their home learning how to make dumplings with them and eating mountains of food coupled with a plum wine and lots of conversation.  Good thing I had someone there to interpret.  What was going to be a short lunch turned into an afternoon of entertaining discussion.  Nothing beats the traditional fare I have to say.

Rose tea - Deanna Roberts

Naturally, there’s a wealth of tea to choose from.  Whether you shop at the local supermarket, market or venture to towns like Yao Li, the choice of tea is huge.  Some of the packaging is simply exquisite and gift-boxed so that you don’t even need to worry about wrapping paper and a card!  Shop around though.  Green tea ranges in price from just a few dollars for a few hundred grams to hundreds of dollars a kilo.  Yes, there is definitely a difference in the taste, and I’m told… how it has been hand-picked and handled, so it really comes down to what suits your taste and budget.  Rose bud tea was definitely a fave and again, delightful to know I could also purchase it back home.  Most restaurants will serve up green tea automatically on your arrival and it’s customary to rinse out your glass, chopsticks, spoon, bowl and plate before use.  There’s usually a pot of tea in the centre for all to use to pour and then a bowl to pour in the used liquid.  Some restaurants will also serve you with crockery pre-wrapped and vacuum sealed plastic in order to show you that it has all been carefully washed and is hygienic.

Teahouse food - Deanna Roberts

© Deanna Roberts 2017

Tea, is, of course, such a natural part of the Chinese culture.  To sit down and talk for hours and share tea, carefully brewed and handled is all part of the customary process.  Don’t be surprised if you are also offered small treats along with it, for example, fruit, snack bars and other little sweet temptations.

Po Yung restaurant - Deanna Roberts

© Deanna Roberts 2017

Whether you dine locally or venture out of town to places like Po Yung, there’s always more to discover.  What you know as a favourite dish locally may also be called the same thing when you’re dining out of town but can look and taste slightly different.  Be prepared for those variations as we’re not talking fast-food chains here.  Many restaurants also have plastic sheets on the tables as it is also customary to leave your food scraps beside your plate and on the plastic.  The plastic is then removed and often just wrapped up and thrown away… scraps ‘n all.  You may be invited to sit down at a table where others have just left and their scraps of chicken or fish bones and other discarded items may still be sitting there awaiting disposal.  Be prepared for anything really.

Local restaurant - Deanna Roberts

© Deanna Roberts 2017

With fine dining, there’s usually the big ‘lazy-susan’ thing in the middle and you’ll no doubt end up sharing various dishes with your other guests.   The most respected guest at your table usually sits furthest away from the door and often one person at the table pays for all guests.   The waiting staff will often be holding a mobile device and select menu items from there so it pays to know what you’re ordering – ask to look at the images or take photos of food you have discovered you like and show it to them.  Lotus root, fried chicken and fried dumplings are certainly popular.

Dog restaurant - Jingdezhen - Deanna Roberts When we say be prepared for anything… well… yes… there may still be the odd restaurant that serves dog.  How its all served I don’t know.  I have never been game enough to try, nor do I intend to.  I’m not even sure how many of those restaurants still exist but if you spot a cage of dogs outside the front of a restaurant, well… you can draw your own conclusions.  I’ve also heard that restaurants serving dog are now banned in the major cities (maybe a rumour?) but how far that rule has reached I cannot say.  Ask around.  It may or may not be your thing, but it’s worth checking either way.  There are certainly lots of different ways that we do things, regardless of what country you’re from, we all have our customs and our preferred cuisines.  It just comes down to what you’re prepared to try and how your taste buds are going to react.  Having someone who speaks and reads the local lingo though, is definitely worthwhile.

© Deanna Roberts 2017

Hot pot restaurant - Deanna RobertsIn comparison there’s also the hot pot concept where you share a table with a group of friends and have a hotplate and hot pot directly in front of each of you.  Decide between yourselves what fresh ingredients you’re going to order and plates of fresh hot pot items will arrive for you to share around and make up your own concoctions.

Often the water in your pots may already be boiling if they’re anticipating your arrival and you may well find a few dates and perhaps a piece of lotus root in the pot, bubbling away, and adding a small, refreshing touch of sweetness along with beautiful aromas.  Try different combinations, test a few things out.  Its the perfect opportunity.  Its fresh, its tasty and its totally up to you what you throw in to your hot pot.

© Deanna Roberts 2017

© Deanna Roberts 2017

There are also some very contemporary cafes around too and it’s worth popping in for the atmosphere.  Yo Yo Cafe in Gallery street is well worth a visit but be prepared to pay through the nose for a coffee, ie about 4 times more than what you might pay elsewhere.

© Deanna Roberts 2017

Yinji Cafe is also very eclectic (located just around the corner from the Jingdezhen Ceramics Institute) and well worth a visit.  Venture up the stairs to their little gallery of antiquities or stay downstairs and watch a movie on the big screen while you devour a piece of cheesecake and a cuppa.  Makes for an interesting night out too.

Red dragon fruit - yum (Hóng lóng guǒ) - Deanna Roberts

© Deanna Roberts 2017

Well, now you can say you’ve had a taste of what’s on offer (no pun intended).  Failing all of that there is the supermarket and the fresh fruit stalls.  The red dragon fruit (Hóng lóng guǒ) is delectably sweet and delicious and should be on your ‘bucket food list’.  If you want to remain with completely westernised styled food, there’s always Walmart.  Be prepared, again, to pay through the nose for what you want, usually located in the foreign-food section.

If you’ve got your own food ideas and experiences of where you’ve been in Jingdezhen and what you’ve tried, whether it’s their amazing chicken soup (head ‘n all) or turtle or the simplest of cuisines, we’d love to hear about it.  Please share here in the comments below.

Happy dining!

Filed Under: Jingdezhen Tagged With: green tea in china, jingdezhen, red dragon fruit, rose tea, sculpture factory, street food, where to find food in jingdezhen

15 How to carve into clay in Jingdezhen

April 26, 2017 by Deanna Roberts Leave a Comment

How to carve into clay in Jingdezhen (1)

Carving – Chen Min – Sculpture Factory, Jingdezhen © Deanna Roberts 2017

Learning to throw on a potter’s wheel and learning how to create amazing sculptures from clay is one thing… learning to carve into it is another thing all together.  That’s why a trip overseas is so worthwhile so that you can learn how to carve into clay in Jingdezhen.  It is the porcelain capital after all and where all the masters of this incredible artistry work and live and breathe ceramics.  It is the mecca for ceramic artists and is the place to visit to learn about its history and those skills and mastery have been handed down from generation to generation, over thousands of years.

So, if you’re a visiting artist in Jingdezhen, be sure to capitalise on the opportunity to take up a carving lesson.  One of the best in the business, one of the masters, is Chen Min.  Her carving skills are amazing and her talents are beyond measure.  The beauty of Chen Min’s teaching is that she is so patient, so endearing and so skilfull.  She’ll work with you, show you every little detail and even provide you with your own set of tools, handcrafted and sharpened by her own hand.

How to carve into clay in Jingdezhen (3)

Chen Min and her beautiful work © Deanna Roberts 2017

Here are the basics:

  • Create a ceramic piece so that it’s bone dry
  • Select your design
  • Draw your design on to your piece in pencil

How to carve into clay in Jingdezhen (2)

Draw your design first © Deanna Roberts 2017

  • Using a narrow carving tool start to carve around the edges
  • Using a wider carving tool carve around the outside to slowly taper the edges into the rest of the piece

How to carve into clay in Jingdezhen (4)

Use your wider tool © Deanna Roberts 2017

  • Use a razor blade (carefully…) to shave off any excess and level out the surface
  • Carve the inside edges of your design

How to carve into clay in Jingdezhen (5)

Carving the inside of the design © Deanna Roberts 2017

  • Dust as you go (those big bushy brushes you can buy in Jingdezhen are the best!)
  • Bisque fire your piece and/or glaze your piece (celadon glazes are the best to show off your design) and fire it accordingly
  • Brag yourself silly 🙂

Take the time to pop into Chen Min’s studio in The Sculpture Factory too – she’s so accommodating and will no doubt share a pot of green tea with you and show you her work and probably that of her apprentice too.

How to carve into clay in Jingdezhen (7)

Chen Min’s studio desk © Deanna Roberts 2017

Travel around Jingdezhen as much as possible and check out some of the carving at the Ancient Kiln Museum and at the Fake Antiques Market too – the work there is simply mind blowing.  Many of the larger pots are thrown on the wheel by the big-pot throwers and the walls left thick so there’s something to carve into.  The patience and pain-staking work involved is astounding.

How to carve into clay in Jingdezhen (8)

Ancient Kiln Museum artist at work © Deanna Roberts 2017

How to carve into clay in Jingdezhen (9)

Carved porcelain at the Ancient Kiln Museum © Deanna Roberts 2017

Filed Under: How to, Jingdezhen Tagged With: carving, how to carve into clay, how to carve porcelain, jingdezhen, porcelain

14 How to make decorative tableware

April 16, 2017 by Deanna Roberts Leave a Comment

Ok, so this is a break from the normal Jingdezhen travel tales, but essential I feel!  As it happens I was sent an image of a piece of tableware with a cherry blossom design and at the time happened to be selecting a cherry blossom image for a Spring edition newsletter I was writing for an aged care facility.  The way things work out huh?  I know…so here’s one way you can learn how to make decorative tableware.

Anyway, so came about this Blossom Series of tableware that was an unforeseen success due to the wrong glazes being used.  The idea was to use a clear glaze over a copper rust glaze but instead of using the clear glaze I grabbed the White Glaze bucket instead and the results were fabulous.

Blossom series jug - (9) 12 x 9 x 13.5 H (excl handle) - Deanna Roberts
Blossom series - (6) 14 x 7 cm H - Deanna Roberts
Blossom series - (3) - Deanna Roberts
Blossom series - (3) Bowl - 12.5 x 10 x 9.5 cm H - Deanna Roberts
Blossom series bowl (2) - Deanna Roberts

The next test was on the marketplace, the people, the pottery addicts, the fans and the admirers who attend the annual Pottery Expo at Warrandyte, here in Melbourne.  Well… to keep it short – sold out!  Good thing I was able to repeat the success.

Here are a couple of links to two of the finished items: Cherry Blossom Bowl and Blossom Vessel.    You can view more in my Shop.

Here’s the drill:

  1. Throw your pots
  2. Trim/turn your pots to the desired shape
  3. Carve in your desired pattern into the side of your pot and paint in your slip mix
  4. When dry, scrape back the excess to reveal a lovely clean line
  5. Bisque fire your pots to 1000 deg C
  6. Glaze the pots as desired, then using a sharp tool, scratch out the ‘blossom’ petals
  7. Fire to 1280 deg C oxidation, electric kiln or gas 1340 deg C
  8. Voila!

Here’s the visual version:


So have a go, it’s easy enough, but time consuming.  It does require patience and a bit of testing in your own kiln, own glazes etc but it’s worth it.

To purchase the items, please visit my Shop to view more wonderful creations!

Filed Under: How to Tagged With: carving, etsy, how to carve stoneware, how to make functional tableware, jingdezhen, porcelain, stoneware

Primary Sidebar

Cart

LET’S GET SOCIAL

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

From the Journal

What is PayID?

By Deanna Roberts

Fabric & Sewing Acronyms – WT do they mean?

By Deanna Roberts

Website image - pottery split-leg aprons 1

Why every potter needs a split-leg apron

By Deanna Roberts

How to organise a market stall (1)

19 How to organise a market stall

By Deanna Roberts

How to write an artist statement 2 - Deanna Roberts

18 How to write an artist statement

By Deanna Roberts

Transformers at timber yard and gallery - San Bao, Jingdezhen - Deanna Roberts

17 Transformers autobot in San Bao? What the?

By Deanna Roberts

A GREAT READ!

The Porcelain Thief

Journal

STAY UP TO DATE

Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

Footer

About

I have been involved in ceramics for many years. As a teenager I admired a potter at a market and made a pact with myself that I would take it up one day. I took the plunge at 27 years old and began to experiment with various designs, methods, … Learn More about About

STAY UP TO DATE WITH NEWS & SPECIAL OFFERS

Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

From the Journal

What is PayID?

By Deanna Roberts

Fabric & Sewing Acronyms – WT do they mean?

By Deanna Roberts

Website image - pottery split-leg aprons 1

Why every potter needs a split-leg apron

By Deanna Roberts

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
  • Subscribe

Copyright ©2019 · Deanna Roberts - All Rights Reserved