—— Remember Hu Guangrong, a Potter in Wushan Village, Sanhe Town, the city.

Text/Zhang

There are many strange people in the mountains since ancient times! There is such a strange man on Mount Wujiashan, Hu Guangrong, who walks Wan Li Road in the name of "Hu Chi".

Hu Guangrong's earthen kiln is located in Wu Shan Village in the deep depression of Wujiashan. There used to be many old kilns for firing pottery here. It is said that the kiln goods of Lao Hu's family have a history of 120 years, ranging from water tanks, pottery pots and crocks to teapots, fire bowls and salt pots. It has always been recognized as a daily necessities by every household in Shiliba Township, and villagers in surrounding counties such as Jingshan, Xiaogan and Yunmeng often come to order.

With the changes of the times, the prosperity of earthenware products in the heyday of Wu Shan Village has long since declined, and craftsmen who made earthenware together in those days also poured out of this small mountain village at the foot of Wujiashan with the tide of going out to work. Today, only the "pot idiot" Lao Hu stubbornly adheres to the old craftsmanship of his ancestors. The weather is changing outside the mountain, and the sun and the moon are long in the pot.

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Wujiashan is located in Sanhe Town, Yingcheng City, Hubei Province, with rolling mountains and pine and cypress cliffs. It was named after the reclusive soldiers practiced here during the Warring States period. There is a small village at the foot of the mountain called Wushan Village. Fuhe River and Zhanghe River meet in front of the village and are surrounded by each other, which is a rare land of geomantic omen. The unique geographical environment has formed rich and clean water and soil characteristics. There are many clays in the mountains, which are rich in 17 minerals and trace elements, especially the rare element selenium. Due to the special soil and abundant firewood, Wu Shan Village has always been rich in "kiln goods" and is a well-known old kiln mouth.

Hu Guangrong and his earthen kiln, in the old society, were quite hermit-like, hidden deep in the hills behind Sifenwan in Wushan Village. There is a rugged, yellow and red mud exposed in the low-lying part of the hillside, which is where Hu Guangrong borrowed soil. Loess is rich in quartz sand, which is suitable for making hanging sand and pottery steamer. Red soil is rich in iron and suitable for making teapots and crocks.

Hu Guangrong's kiln shed can be seen through a bush. The kiln shed is small, about 20 meters long and 2 meters deep. It looks very simple. The earth wall is a slag block cut by rolling rice fields, and the crossbeam of miscellaneous trees is within reach. The irregular rafters are covered with a thick layer of straw, which is well bonded to the soil and covered with black tiles. These black tiles were all burned by Master Hu himself. In order to avoid direct sunlight, two tiny windows were opened at the heights on both sides of the kiln shed door. This structure makes the kiln shed warm in winter and cool in summer, and ensures the molding and drying of kiln blank.

The slag wall of the kiln shed is divided into two parts, one is the operation room and the other is the small warehouse. The operation room is Hu Guangrong's main workplace, which is used for loading mud, drawing blanks and drying blanks. On one side of the corner, the soil taken from the mountain is scattered. After harrowing, screening and wetting, it is repeatedly rubbed on the workbench on the other side until the soil is fine and smooth before it can be used to draw blanks. Dishwashing mud is a meticulous job. In Hu Guangrong's words, it is necessary to sieve the rough mountain soil and knead it repeatedly into a smooth and flat "girl mud" to make the ceramic body delicate and smooth.

Near the door, there is a turntable for drawing blanks and a shelf made of two boards. The drawing turntable is made of discarded automobile tires, and the small motor drives it to rotate at a constant speed. Hu Guangrong sat in front of the drawing turntable, wearing a cotton undershirt with his trouser legs pulled to his knees. His legs were supported on both sides of Tao Jun, who was rotating at a constant speed. He concentrated on making a huge pottery teapot. He put the kneaded clay ball on the turntable and supported the clay tire with his hands. With the rapid rotation of the turntable, the pot body magically gradually took shape, and the thick clay feet still turned on Tao Jun. He only saw his left hand gently holding the brim, his right thumb holding the brim, and the other four fingers rubbing on the outside of the brim. In an instant, he smoothed a circle of mud strips along the brim, gradually tightened the brim, drew a thin line conveniently, stretched straight at the bottom of the pot, and gently cut off the pot body. The whole process was completed in one go, and the viewers were all amazed. Later, he installed the handle, spout and other accessories on the pot body, and a simple and lovely ceramic teapot was made.

The semi-finished products are moved to the small warehouse on the other side of the kiln shed, laid flat on the ground and naturally dried. On the wall of the small warehouse, a row of burnt earthen teapots lined up along the wall as a "pot wall". The sun shines through the window, and the mottled light and shadow are sprinkled on the pot wall, showing a simple aesthetic feeling like oil painting.

In front of the kiln shed is a large flat grain field, with two piles of tall straw standing on the left and right. The kiln is facing the door. It is a traditional "ventilated fire kiln". The kiln is gyro-shaped, with a big bottom and a small top. Put the kiln mouth on top, uncover the linoleum cloth laid on it and look through the probe. The earthen teapot burned in a kiln is squeezed out in the drum kiln cavity. After cooling, Master Hu hooked them out of the kiln one by one with a long hook.

For Hu Guangrong, the process of making pottery is not only a craft, but also the process of creating a work of art and the inheritance of traditional folk culture. He loved making pottery since he was a child, and he was really fascinated by this "art of mud and fire". Today, with the decline of traditional pottery industry, he still insists on making pottery in kiln because of his love for the ancient craft of making pottery. In the depths of his memory, there is a smell of pottery fire, which flows endlessly with the change of years.

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The old Hu family has been an expert in pottery making since Grandpa Hu Guangrong. It was passed on to Grandpa Hu Guangrong's generation. He traveled all over the country with superb pottery-making skills to help people make pottery. At that time, grandpa took Hu Guangrong and his father from their hometown Anlu to Shiban River in Wujiashan, Yingcheng. The unique soil of Wujiashan has kept Grandpa Hu's footsteps. As the saying goes, relying on mountains to eat mountains, relying on water to draft. Grandpa Hu seemed to see a bright future and decided to settle down and open a kiln to burn pottery.

At that time when materials were scarce, dozens of earthenware products, such as pots, jars, pots and bowls, made by Lao Hu's family were indispensable daily necessities, and every household in the village needed several pieces of Lao Hu's kiln goods. However, the kiln-burning skills handed down by Hu Jiazu were really carried forward by Hu Guangrong's father.

In 1950s and 1960s, China was in the period of economic recovery, and production cooperatives blossomed everywhere. Wujiashan Pottery Factory was established in Wu Shan Village, with Hu Guangrong's father as the factory director and technical director. Leading a group of young people to open a kiln, build a kiln shed and run a kiln factory in the Guandu River area of Wujiashan is in full swing. In the heyday of Wujiashan Pottery Factory, there were as many as 100 workers. Master Hu selected seven young people with flexible minds and strong eyesight to teach students and impart skills. Lao Hu's kiln-burning skills are no longer limited to family heirlooms, and there is more room for development. In order to expand production, the pottery factory was once moved to Yan Ma Brigade, Yanghe Town, Yingcheng. Later, due to the soil quality, the fired kiln goods were easy to crack, so they moved back to Wujiashan and took root in Sifenwan, Wu Shan Village. Various kinds of pottery daily necessities are constantly flowing out of Wujiashan and scattered to Xiaogan, Jingshan and Jingmen.

Hu Guangrong grew up in a kiln with his father. Mud throwing and kiln burning were his favorite games in childhood. The former site of the Dragon Kiln of Wujiashan Pottery Factory is not far from the top left of the gyro kiln that Hu Guangrong is now building. Dragon kilns are generally built on a hillside with a slope of 10-20 degrees. They are tunnel-shaped with bricks and sand ash, hence the name "dragon-shaped". The advantage of burning pottery in Longyao is that it uses the principle of natural mountain building and natural fire rising, so the cost is low and the waste heat can be fully utilized. Every time he went out of the kiln, Hu Guangrong was particularly excited when he was young. Merchants from far and near rushed to pick up the baskets with carriages, waited near Longyao, and lined up to pick up the goods. Looking at the simple teapot, pitcher and other kiln goods coming out of the oven, a sense of satisfaction and pleasure rose in Hu Guangrong's little heart. Those kilns, like lanterns, lit up his eyes and his heart.

Accidents will happen. At the peak of Wujiashan Pottery Factory, something happened to Hu Guangrong's father. That year, khufu was 38 years old. Because the dragon kiln is built on a hillside, every time it is burned, a wooden ladder must be carried on the firewood. That day, when Khufu was carrying firewood on the wooden ladder, he accidentally fell down the hillside and broke his arm. For a man who makes a living by craft, you can imagine what it means to have a broken arm. Hu Guangrong is the eldest son of the family, his sister is still studying in Xiaogan, and his younger brother and sister are still young. When his father was injured, the whole family lost their financial resources, and the burden of the whole family suddenly fell on Hu Guangrong, who was in junior high school. Hu Guangrong seems to have no choice but to drop out of school and shoulder the burden of life for his father.

Hu Guangrong, who is only 15 years old, entered the kiln factory and learned the craft to burn kiln goods with his father. Because he grew up in a kiln, Hu Guangrong quickly mastered the basic skills of making pottery and burning kiln, from digging, harrowing and moistening soil to dish mud, drawing blanks and drying, to loading, burning and discharging kiln. A kiln furniture product has gone through 27 processes, and the young Hu Guangrong has done it methodically and calmly, no less than his father's training.

The thriving kiln factory makes many people jealous. The cadres of the production team tried their best to get their relatives into the kiln factory as soon as possible. These people refuse to work unless they know the technology. At that time, Hu Guangrong's father was unable to do his job because of his arm injury, and he could only serve as technical director. People who come to see Master Khufu are all people with backgrounds, and few people really want to learn technology. The yield of kiln factory is getting lower and lower, and the quality of kiln goods is getting worse and worse. Seeing that the meager income earned in the kiln factory could not support the expenses of the whole family, Hu Guangrong made up his mind to go out to make a living.

Hu Guangrong, with his skill of firing kilns, successively made barbecue cages (fire bowls) in Jingshan Song He, made water tanks and pickle jars in Makou kiln factory, and then made pottery steamer in Xiang Ying, Hunan. After several years, he still can't earn much money, and his family life is getting harder and harder, and he often makes ends meet. 1968, Hu Guangrong, who had been wandering for several years, returned to Sanhe Town, Yingcheng. At this time, Hu Guangrong is no longer a young man who has just learned his craft. After several years of experience, he has matured a lot and improved his skills. Hu Guangrong is a good learner. He combined his father's personal skills with the skills he learned in the kiln factory outside, and even his father praised the kiln products. So, with the encouragement of his father, Hu Guangrong returned to his hometown to take over as the director of the old kiln factory and began his career of firing kiln and making ceramics for nearly half a century.

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The dying old kiln once again ignited a fire. As soon as the kiln factory started, Hu Guangrong made a great technological innovation. Traditional pottery-making methods are roughly divided into manual system, molding system and wheel system. In the early years, pottery was mainly made by hand, and then it developed into fast-wheel pottery through slow-wheel rest system, which went through a long process. Wheel method usually uses fast rotating ceramic wheels to draw blanks. According to Hu Guangrong's observation, when the speed reaches more than 90 revolutions per minute, the blank can be rapidly formed. Below this speed, the wheel can only be used to trim the blank. In the past, wheels were made of tires, and a stick was used to make them run very fast. On the one hand, it is not easy to master the uniform strength, on the other hand, it requires great arm strength and consumes the physical strength of workers. Hu Guangrong tried to connect the wheel to a small motor and let the motor drive the wheel. In this way, the problem of high-speed and uniform operation is solved, and the efficiency of drawing turntable is greatly improved.

Before opening the kiln, Hu Guangrong listened to his father's instructions, lit three incense sticks at the entrance of Longyao, kowtowed, burned some paper money and paid homage to his ancestors. Legend has it that this Potter's grandfather is Zhu Yuanzhang. When he was herding cattle, he kneaded mud into a ball of water and boiled it. Probably that was the embryonic form of early boiling water. Usually it takes six or seven hours to burn a kiln. When it was time to open the kiln, Hu Guangrong led everyone to open the kiln, looking dumbfounded! They worked hard to make a kiln clay pot for nearly half a month, and all of them inexplicably turned into rubble. This is a strange thing that the kiln factory has never seen before! Hu Guangrong thought hard and wanted to know what the problem was. My old father asked Mr. Feng Shui to look around, and finally stood at the top of Guibei, a few meters away from Longyao, squinting and saying, Here it is!

The original name of this mountain is Chongshan. Because it looks like a turtle, the locals also call it Beishan in Guangxi. The tail of the turtle faces southeast, the head of the turtle faces northwest, and the ridge of the turtle rises high. Hu Guangrong rebuilt a new kiln in Guiling according to the place designated by Mr. Feng Shui, that is, the new gyro kiln that is still in use today. On the day when the new kiln opened, according to the old rules handed down by the ancestors, Hu Guangrong burned some paper money at the firewood mouth, kiln mouth, kiln tail and kiln top, worshiping the bodhisattva and ancestors, and told the kiln workers several taboos: First, you can't wear red on the kiln, otherwise the kiln products will turn white instead of Chu red; Neither woman is allowed to go to the kiln, otherwise it is disrespectful to her ancestors; Three are not allowed to stand on the top of the kiln.

After the new kiln was put into production, the once-silent Wujiashan pottery factory boiled again, including more than 20 foreign workers who dug and mixed mud. Hu Guangrong not only led everyone to burn traditional old kiln goods, but also used the experience learned from outside to experiment, innovate and update the products. When the pottery steamer was not easy to sell, he made glazed goods and was the first one in the local area. Glazing methods are generally divided into dipping glaze, coating glaze and spraying glaze. Hu Guangrong once saw the glaze dipping method in Makou kiln factory, that is, the blank was dipped in a thin and suitable glaze, naturally absorbed to a certain thickness, and then fired in the kiln. To burn two-color glazed goods, the fixed firing method should be adopted, and the small glazed goods should be put in a big jar, only dipped in the glazed goods, and the bottom is the true color. The glaze goods such as pottery baked in this way are still Gu Zhuo primary colors at the bottom, and the upper part is bright glaze color, which looks good, and the bottom of the primary color is also resistant to burning and will not fade because of fire baking.

When the quality of products is excellent, sales volume becomes the top priority. Because Wujiashan is located in a remote place, the old kiln factory has been out of stock for a long time, and buyers have ordered elsewhere, and the new kiln goods have never cost money. Hu Guangrong set out carrying a dry food bag. He first came to the pottery shop in Jiefang Street, Yingcheng. An accountant named Tao gave him a look and said simply, look elsewhere. Our sales department has its own suppliers. Hu Guangrong doesn't want to stop there. He stayed near the pottery shop for a few days, and finally he caught a chance to break through.

That day is the time for school. Tao accountant's little girl clamored for watermelon as soon as she entered the door. At that time, materials were scarce, employees' income was low, and Tao accountant could not bear it. That girl has been making noise. Seeing this, Hu Guangrong bought five big watermelons in one breath and sent them to the salesroom. Adults and girls laughed at once. Accountant Tao asked Hu Guangrong to send his pottery to have a look. Because his kiln goods are of good quality and innovative (two-color glazed color), the kiln goods of Jiefang Street pottery shop are basically taken over by Wujiashan kiln factory, and the story of Master Hu opening the market with five watermelons is also a much-told story in the village. After that, Hu Guangrong, with his own skill and intelligence, gradually obtained the order contracts of Xiaogan, Jingshan, Yunmeng and other pottery shops.

In the early 1980 s, the wave of reform and opening up swept through, and Wujiashan pottery factory inevitably faced the restructuring of collective enterprises. Hu Guangrong's brothers developed their own new kilns, each with a shed and running their own small kiln factory. The entrance of Wushan village presents a situation of letting a hundred flowers blossom. However, the good times did not last long. With the rapid development of science and technology, more and more beautiful and lightweight aluminum products and plastic products have replaced bulky pottery products. The pottery business is getting weaker and weaker, and it is gradually declining. Kilns in Wu Shan Village were closed one by one, and the scene of making pottery day and night is gone forever. Abandoned kilns and sheds are everywhere on the hillside.

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Times have changed, and now there is only one old kiln in Wushan Village on the northern mountain of Guangxi. Hu Guangrong is also the only craftsman in the village who is engaged in kiln burning and pottery making. Seeing this bleak scene, Hu Guangrong still stubbornly believes that earthenware containers still have the value of continuing existence because of their natural and non-toxic raw materials.

Hu Guangrong was not discouraged, nor did he go out to work with the masses. He wants to keep his ancestral business and this ancestral old craft. Every day when he comes into contact with the sticky red mud, Hu Guangrong's fingers are particularly flexible and powerful, and he feels inexhaustible. Although people no longer like those ceramic bottles and jars, many people are still used to using ceramic teapots. Clay pots have strong adsorption. After boiling water enters the pot, the cooler it is, the clearer and sweeter the tea is.

Hu Guangrong, who loves brains, thought of the characteristics that modern people pay attention to health preservation. Selenium rich in Wujiashan soil has the effects of anti-cancer, anti-aging and enhancing immunity. Hu Guangrong decided to make a fuss about the brand effect of "Se-enriched pot" and concentrate on making earthen teapot. The teapot that was originally fired was khaki and had no light. Hu Guangrong borrowed the method of over-glaze painting, coated iron oxide red on the body of teapot with soft cloth, and then put it into a kiln for firing. The ceramic teapot burned out is bright in color, smooth in hand, glowing with Chu red light, knocking on the teapot wall and making a crisp metallic sound. The improved pottery teapot is more exquisite. The small pot is exquisite, exquisite and unique, just like a small handicraft. The big pot is stocky, round and bulging, and can hold five or six Jin of tea, but the wall of the pot is incredibly thin, as if it will burst if it is filled with too much water, but it is strong enough not to break easily unless it is deliberately broken, or even burst.

Despite this, Hu Guangrong's clay teapot business is still very light. Fortunately, occasionally some school canteens or restaurants will ask the only surviving kiln factory in Wu Shan Village to customize some earthenware such as stews, crocks and pottery steamers, so that Hu Guangrong's kiln factory will not stall because of unsalable products, which continues to this day.

67-year-old Hu Guangrong, alone guarding the old earth kiln on Wujiashan. Every day, he takes soil, mud, pulls blanks, dries them, then enters, burns and watches the fire, and goes out of the kiln alone. On average, twenty or thirty teapots are made every day, each of which costs ten yuan. According to the yield of 85%, even if all of them are sold, the annual income is only about one or two thousand yuan, barely maintaining the daily expenses of him and his wife.

In addition, pottery products are seasonal and should not be too cold or too hot. The general sales season is in April, and the production season is in September. You can only do work for half a year. According to folklore, "Before the Dragon Boat Festival, there must be five watches; After the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is midnight ",that is to say, before the Dragon Boat Festival, it usually takes five hours to start making clay dishes, because it takes more than an hour to make clay for one day. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the days are short, the nights are long, and it is midnight when you leave the kiln.

As he grows older, Hu Guangrong often feels exhausted. Occasionally, when the temperature is too high for the body, he will call his son back to help him burn a kiln. Today, Hu Guangrong's three daughters and one son have all grown up and have their own lives and ideas. Children think that pottery making is a chore, with low income and low social recognition, and they are unwilling to follow Master Hu in teaching pottery. There is no successor to the old craft, which has always been a heart disease for Hu Guangrong. He often said that the mud in the mountains is spiritual. When you put it on a plate, people will have the spirit of this mountain. I have become attached to earthenware in my life, and I only hope that this craft can be passed down. As long as someone is willing to learn, they are willing to teach for free.

Xia Fu has arrived, so we should have a rest after burning this kiln. Hu Guangrong stood alone on the slope of Wu Shan Village, watching the smoke drifting into the distance from the chimney of the old kiln and thinking about the inheritance and outlet of the old earthenware craft. This "pot idiot" once again lost in thought. ...