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doumu township in qianshan city, anhui province, is renowned for its ancient pottery, earning the reputation as the "hometown of ceramics in southwestern anhui." the history of pottery making here dates back 6,000 years to the xuejiagang culture and continues to this day. six thousand years ago, the ancestors of qianshan discovered abundant natural clay deposits in doumu township. they built kilns along the rivers, established workshops around the kilns, used pine branches as torches, and refined clay to create pottery. doumu pottery flourished during the tang and song dynasties, becoming a major commodity for foreign trade. the hundred-meter ancient kiln that still exists today is rare both in china and abroad and is regarded by industry experts and scholars as a living fossil. 
tourists experience pottery making at a handicraft workshop in the intangible cultural heritage inheritance base of doumu pottery in qianshan city, anhui province (photo taken on may 4, 2024). photo by xinhua news agency reporter chen nuo the traditional pottery-making process in doumu is lengthy, from shaping the clay to firing the pottery. the firing process alone takes three days and nights, requiring dedicated personnel to monitor the fire. when the kiln temperature exceeds 1200 degrees celsius, the metal elements in the clay blend with the pine resin and wood ash. even if thousands of identical clay pieces are placed in the kiln, the glaze on each piece will be unique upon removal, making the beauty of kiln transformations "encountered but not predicted." due to the gradual replacement of handcrafting by machine production and the lack of a consumer market for monotonous products, this traditional craft was once on the brink of extinction. in recent years, doumu township has invested tens of millions of yuan in rescue protection and living heritage transmission. they have reinforced dragon kilns, established intangible cultural heritage salons and artist studios, and hosted international cultural and artistic exchange activities for doumu pottery, as well as dragon kiln ignition ceremonies, attracting over 400,000 domestic and foreign tourists. in 2021, the doumu pottery firing technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage, and in 2024, the qianshan tianzhu ceramics brand was recognized as a chinese time-honored brand. the local community has also used various methods to bring ancient pottery culture to life, creating a unique pottery village and combining pottery with the homestay industry, enabling villagers to participate in the inheritance and protection of intangible cultural heritage. this promotes the creative transformation and innovative development of china's outstanding traditional culture. source: anhuinews.com
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