Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1922-03-24
Chinese Potter at His Wheel.

& 1iu3 20 81 f1aiNH se 49,
,d.m I; tsf.iss 81. 90 Sh'mese roster
prepared BY tn. national Geographic So
| Hit.7o itciety. Washing ton. d! C)0 ICY 'N
The greatest Industrial city OF China
rs Ching-teh-chen. place which perl
Ihaps not one American In a hundred
has heard Of. But when 1t is added
that this out-of-the-way place. 900
miles inland and without rail connec-
lions, is the original home of the porce-
lain Industry of the world and still the
great Chinese center Of the industry,
the town takes on a certain signifi-
canoe, - it nc t,sa - tR14aft . -.
There are few cities in America or
Europe that are so completely given
over to a single industry as this one.
Though the methods of production are
primitive, the city must still be classed
as an industrial center. 1t is a rare
privilege to visit this conservative but
Interesting old place and see with ones
own eyes the fascinating process of
pottery making from beginning to end.
Chinaware! What does the word
connote? Simply ware made Of clay
hIlu ndIDcu Tic COuhLly htot
produced 1t. Whether 1t be a green
tile, from, a temple roof, a dish, a vase,
or painted, ornament from wealthy
celestial's lhOme.l it all has traeeable
connection with Ching -teii-ohen. With
the Chinese. Ching and por-
eelain are synonymous. NsaNl O" F.''''
In order to get fair understanding
of the situation, 1t will first be neces-
! sarya TO let the reader know the To-
l cation of this place and something of
/ the difficulties in reaching it,
1 After locating Shanghai on the map
Of Chin, one Should trace his way up
the Yangtze river to Kiukiang south
Of which lies Pc Yang lake. The quick
5est and surest way Of reaching Ching
tteh- chen is to proceed from Kiukiang
Ito Napchang, the capital Of the prov
I hce, by rail- This trip can be made
ID a day, barring accidents, though the
distance is only 90 miles, In prospect
it does not seem a difficult task to
! dover the distance between Nanchang
and Ching-telfchen, 100 miles, but in
reality the trip requires more time
than it takes to travel from San Fran
disco to New York, One must cross
the east end of Pc Yang lake and then
push his way up the North river into
the heart of the mountains, to point
not far from the Anhwei border.
"Town of Scenic vlrtuev
The first view Of Ching teh-chen
from an approaching boat, with the
smoke issuing from. the chimneys Of
scores /, of kilns, is an amazing one.
The city is located between the mouths
Of two rivers which flow into the North
river, one from the east and one from
the west. The town is naturally sup
piled with an abundance Of fresh wa
ter, the clearness of which stands out
In vivid contrast to the muddy yellow
ness Of the sYangtze and of Pc Yang
lake.
Beautiful hills completely surround
the city, those. on the east rising to
height of about two thousand feet
The river banks are dotted with pine
and canphor trees, while occasional
groves of bamboo In lighter green add
4 charm and beauty difficult to de
scribe. .',... !, 800,
Ching,feh- chen tsiTown Of Scenic
yirtue'l SIS one Of the four largest
towns Gas distinguished from cities)
Of China. Technically, 1t is town
because it has no wall. In reality 1
is busy Industrial city of 300,0Ot
people, two-thirds Of whom. are en-
gagged in the manufacture and sale o.
porcelain. Economically, 1t Is a cit!
to stirnmen's souls. 1Longfellow, in hi'
~Keramos,~ nspeaks Of it. Historical
", 1t dates back to the Han dynasty
200, A. b., during which period we flint
: the first records Of the production o
! porcelain in China, though earthen
ware vessels we're probably produces
. some centuries earlier.
Two main streets, about three mile
long and conforming to the contour o
the n river, comprise the principe
thoroughfares. faif rsl5g sfi-
The city is about mile wide. Fur
.. naces, warehouses, shops. and home
are crowded together in a hopeless
; tangle. Great mounds OF clipped an
reflective porcelain. clay chips ant
broken dishes are piled high along tn
J river bank. In. fact. one first notice
! these pieces Of porcelain In the bed Q
. the stream several miles below tn
; city. washed down by high watel
. These dumps must be 30 or 40 fee
thick. They represent the ACCOUNT
hated offcastihgs Of the kilns for cer
kuriss. There. are now between 10