THE WORLD'S ANCIENT PORCELAIN CENTER 



405 



living conditions cause 

 a great deal of dis- 

 satisfaction among the 

 laborers. 



Workers are organ- 

 ized, first according to 

 the parts of the coun- 

 try from which they 

 come — Ching-teh- 

 chen, from Anhwei 

 and all other prov- 

 inces. They are fur- 

 ther formed into 

 guilds, according to 

 the kind of work upon 

 which they are en- 

 gaged. Strikes are not 

 infrequent, but there 

 is seldom resort to 

 violence. The Cham- 

 ber of Commerce is a 

 regular mediator. 



Many women are 

 engaged in various 

 forms of porcelain 

 production, such as 

 painting, engraving, 

 and lettering. The ap- 

 prentice system pre- 

 vails throughout the 

 industry, as in every 

 trade in China. It 

 was interesting to note 

 the artistic ability of 

 a number of small 

 boys engaged in paint- 

 ing birds, flowers, fish, 

 and bats, the last be- 

 ing an omen of good 

 fortune. 



Wages range from ten cents to one Raochow, whence it is reshipped in large 

 dollar per day, Mexican, for potters and junks to Shanghai and other cities. Most 

 molders. mis includes food and room, of this is for domestic use, the Chinese 



not yet having learned the value of stimu- 

 lating international trade. 



"ling lung," or rice, pattern dishes 

 require much time and skill 



Perhaps the most popular design of 

 porcelain with foreigners is the "ling 

 lung," or rice, pattern found in dishes, 

 cups, and bowls. The Chinese have 

 learned the art of producing foreign-style 

 dinner sets in this pattern and are finding 

 a ready market for them. 



Patient skill and no small amount of 

 time are required for the making of the 



THE POTTERS MISTAKES 



Great mounds of chipped and defective porcelain and broken dishes 

 are piled high along the river bank at Ching-teh-chen. 



The artist's wage ranges from twelve 

 cents to three dollars per day, varying 

 not according to the number of hours, 

 but according to the number and quality 

 of the pieces produced. But no artisan 

 must work too long. If a man is found 

 doing too much and working beyond the 

 time limit, he is set upon by his fellow- 

 workers and severely beaten. 



We learned from the revenue collector 

 that about $5,000,000 worth of porcelain 

 and pottery is shipped out of Ching-teh- 

 chen every year. Every piece has to be 

 hauled down the river in small boats to 



