Ric Swenson on sun 15 aug 10
I last wrote about my China experiences in March. It has been a busy 4 mon=
ths since then.
We have had a HOT summer..the last four have all been hot...but this one se=
ems hotter. We also have had the first floods since they had a bad one in =
1998-9. The campus football field became 'the new swimming venue' for a fe=
w days and unfortunately the JCI /West Virginia U. studio sustained some wa=
ter damage too. I think it is all repaired now. We were safe on the 4th flo=
or of the teacher's dormitory. I have been through a 9.2 earthquake in Ala=
ska and a hurricane, (Columbus Day Storm in Oregon) but this was my first f=
lood experience. Others have had it much worse.
The semester ended in late June...and art students scattered to their homet=
owns/summer jobs , etc. I spent some time tutoring young kids...ages 6-16 =
in oral English...and continue to do that now that I am back from a stint t=
eaching ceramics in the hometown of celadon ..LongQuan (Dragon Springs) in =
ZheJiang Province, PRC. For more than 2,000 years celadons have been made =
in this remote hilly area. I volunteered to go to LongQuan because I have a=
lways admired celadon glazed work and visited there last Dec, when LongQuan=
was recognized by the U.N. as a Cultural Heritage Site for its long histor=
y of ceramics and swordmaking. They opened a huge museum at that time and I=
also had the chance to help stoke a dragon kiln which has adorned a hill t=
here for 800 years or more..who knows how many times it has been rebuilt.?.=
.but it was a really fine experience.
The special summer session was tuition free for 43 students, who want to f=
ind work in the ceramics industry in the future. The facility is first rat=
e...50 new wheels...nice workspaces and lots of shelving. The arts college =
in LongQuan has a few thousand students during the school year. This was a=
special program, sponsored by the Provincial government, lasting 2 weeks, =
where students learned the rudiments of clay. We worked 7-8 hours a day...=
everyday. The men and women learned quickly. The clay is easier to work w=
ith than the JDZ Porcelain...it's not as purely white...but much more 'thro=
wable' (to coin a phrase). A Chinese faculty member and I demonstrated mor=
nings and afternoons. Lots of hands-on teaching...and I had a good transla=
tor...to help me communicate better.
Aside from teaching a few grad studentd here in JDZ periodically, this was =
my first teaching of raw beginners since Atlanta in 2003-6. It was a great =
experience. The students were aged 18-30 and eager to learn. I learned as =
much as I taught. One day a Chinese 'Master Craftsman' came and demonstrate=
d his throwing style. He told me he has made celadon wares for 54 years. I =
felt like a pauper at only 44 years experience.
His chatter decoration technique is fabulous!
LongQuan is famous for mushroom and fungi production so the food was great.=
Not as spicy as JDZ dishes, but delicious.
After leaving LongQuan I went by bus...then train to LiShui and then YiWu..=
.also in ZheJiang Prov. Yi Wu is a big commercial center and very internat=
ional in character. We sampled Turkish, Indian, Kashgar, Muslim, Medditera=
nian and African cuisine there. 38,000 wholesale and some retail shops in=
that city...and a lot of good restaurants!
I took 1250 photos of the trip. I would be happy to send you a few...off-li=
st.
Happy potting!
Ric
Richard H. ("Ric") Swenson, Teacher,
Office of International Cooperation and Exchange of Jingdezhen Ceramic Inst=
itute,
TaoYang Road, Eastern Suburb, Jingdezhen City.
JiangXi Province, P.R. of China.
Postal code: 333001.
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