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china trip addendum part 1

updated sat 31 aug 96

 

Jack Troy on thu 15 aug 96

A number of people have sent me inquiries about visiting China, and I'd like to
follow up my recent message with the titles of a couple of books I found most
helpful.
First, the Lonely Planet's _China_ guidebook is super, and contains a good
reading list of its own.
Of particular interest to clayfolk are a couple of books I picked up:

I recommend a fine paperback: _Ten Major Museums of Shaanxi_ published by Xian
Branch of China National Publications Import and Export Corp,No 93 Nan De Jie,
Xian, China.The ISBN # is 962-331-015-3.
(Our group visited 8 of the 10 museums).
Xian is a great place to visit - so many museums and archaeological sites within
an hour or so.
If you can get to Xian, you'll be able to visit the Terra Cotta Army and other
places easily, but of special interest to potters is the Yaozhou Kiln in
Tongchuan, about an hour north of the city. You'll see the carefully excavated
kiln sites from the Tang and Song dynasties. There's also a working pottery
with interesting coal-fired kilns making sagger-fired celadons and oil-spot
glazes. And, yes, there are seconds, if you ask for them. (Apparently nobody
ever had, provoking a bit of a tizzy amongst the guides).
Jack Troy