THE WORLD'S ANCIENT PORCELAIN CENTER 



403 



The kilns are large, egg-shaped ovens 

 of brownish brick, fifty feet long and 

 twelve feet high at the highest point. 

 Because of the intense heat, both the 

 kilns and chimneys must be rebuilt an- 

 nually. 



Every piece of porcelain is placed in 

 the furnace with great precision and ar- 

 ranged according to the temperature 

 which is necessary for its complete firing. 

 Only certain pieces can be placed at the 

 top of the kiln. 



The furnace when full is entirely 

 bricked up, and the whole contents are 

 kept at a temperature of 1,600 to 2,000 

 degrees centigrade, usually for a night 

 and a day, after which the kiln is allowed 

 to cool off, and in due time the porcelain 

 is removed. It has been found that one 

 kiln is large enough to keep nine or ten 

 factories in operation. 



This completes the process if no deco- 

 rations other than the under-glaze paint- 

 ings are desired, but if more elaborate 

 colorings are used, further burnings in a 

 smaller kiln take place. In applying other 

 ornamental designs the artist often spends 

 weeks, or even months, in completing a 

 single piece, as was the case with a 

 beautiful vase portraying the five rela- 

 tionships, which we had the pleasure of 

 inspecting in the leading factory in the 

 city. 



PORCELAIN IS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING 

 TO SHAPE 



We found porcelain to be classified, 

 according to shape, as follows : "yuan 

 c'hi," or round ware, which includes 

 cups, bowls, saucers, and plates ; "tso 

 c'hi," or irregular rounds, including tea- 

 pots, vases, and small, flat ink and paint 

 boxes ; "tiao hsiang," or irregulars, such 

 as images, statues, representations of 

 trees and other objects. 



An interesting feature of the manufac- 

 turing process is that the factories are 

 also classified according to the shape of 

 the piece they produce — that is. Air. 

 Wang makes only round ware, or he may 

 even confine himself to the manufacture 

 of bowls, while Mr. Li's factory is de- 

 voted entirely to the production of tea- 

 pots. 



Clustered around the Fukien Guild 

 Hall, in the eastern part of the city, for 

 example, we found about twenty Fu- 



THE WAY IN WHICH PORCELAIN IS MOVED 

 FROM PLACE TO PLACE 



The job of porter in a Ching-teh-chen fac- 

 tory would be hazardous for one not blessed 

 with a steady arm, but the percentage of 

 breakage is small. 



kienese families devoting their entire 

 time to the making of images and statues, 

 such as the God of War, Goddess of 

 Mercy, the Three Stars — Happiness, 

 Longevity, and Posterity — and the Gods 

 of Harmony. Among the collection we 

 also noticed some obscene pieces. 



There is only one plant in Ching-teh- 

 chen which produces all varieties of 

 porcelain and pottery — the Kiangsi Porce- 

 lain Company. It was organized several 

 years ago by a number of prominent 

 stockholders on a modern basis. Xo 

 foreigners are connected with it in anv 



