Xian And Chen Lu Question, PLEASE
Mar 9th, 2007, 05:23 AM
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Xian And Chen Lu Question, PLEASE
I will be travelling with an artist friend who makes pottery. Does anyone know if it is worth going to the town of Chen Lu to visit the pottery workshops?
Apr 22nd, 2007, 04:57 PM
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jamles,
My post about our trip to Chen Lu was buried in another thread, so I've copied it below. In general, we found that most of the pottery in Chen Lu was not very refined, but it was a nice side trip to get out of crowded Xian. If you decide to go, I've listed a few of the workshops worth checking out:
My friend and I took the long bus ride to Chen Lu from Xian and very much enjoyed our day there visiting one family workshop after another. I didn't find the pottery in Chen Lu as exquisite as I had hoped, but I purchased a few small pieces I still treasure. The village--and its extremely welcoming inhabitants--was a nice change of pace after Xian, which I found surprisingly westernized.
We inquired about hiring a car to Chen Lu at a travel agency in Xian's Bell Tower Hotel. They quoted us 500 yuan, which we thought was too much. We opted for the bus instead and pretty much followed the advice in Frommers.
We took a cab from our hotel to Xian's main bus station, which is very close to the train station. There, we boarded a bus to Tongchuan. When we debarked at the Tongchuan bus station, we asked someone how to find the mini-bus to Chen Lu. If I recall correctly, you exit the bus station and turn right, then walk up several blocks to a roundabout where the white mini-bus is waiting. Then, it's a bumpy ride up the hill to Chen Lu. (Funny story--along the road to Chen Lu, our bus passed a cow; the ticket girl on the bus turned to my friend and me and said, "Never seen one of those before, huh?" She really believed that we Americans had never encountered a cow before!
Chen Lu itself is a dusty and quiet little village. We went to the main factory suggested by Frommers but couldn't find the exhibits of antique ceramics it had described. The ladies inside just seemed to be mass-producing low quality ceramics.
We wandered around the village on our own and stumbled across three workshops we liked very much. The one I would recommend most highly is the Zhong Guo Yao Zhou Ci. (Zhong Guo means China. Yao Zhou is the region that Chen Lu is located in. Ci means pottery.) Their telephone number is 0919-7483623, but I'm sure if you just ask someone, they can point you to it. It was one of the largest workshops in Chen Lu and had a gate. We liked this workshop the best because in addition to the traditional pottery, they had some more interesting modern pieces. The owners were extremely welcoming and allowed us to watch their potters work and take photos.
The second workshop I'd recommend is Guan Jia Tao Ci. (Guan is the last name of the family that owns this workshop. Phone number: 0919-7483569) Mr. Guan is a friendly man in his forties who has a lovely little girl. He and his elderly father are the two potters. Mr. Guan mentioned that in the past, he has hosted pottery workshops for visitors from abroad.
The third workshop I'd recommend visiting is that of the Xu family (X is pronounced Sh). Telephone: 0919-7482235. This family's work seems to be among the most respected in Chen Lu. Both the potters at Guan Jia and at Zhong Guo Yao Zhou Ci suggested that we stop by and check out their work. Old man Xu was a bit grumpy when we encountered him (which is ironic, since his Chinese name, Xu Kuai Le, means Happy Xu), but his son was extremely friendly. Apparently one son helps the father make the pottery, and the other son paints some of the finished vases.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we didn't find the pottery in Chen Lu particularly refined or unusual, but the village does make for a nice change of pace after Xian. What we particularly liked about Chen Lu was the way the villagers used vases in constructing their railings or pieces of broken pottery in decorating their courtyards and walls. The villagers we encountered were all extremely welcoming. As we roamed the paths, one family even invited us into their home to check out their very charming ceramic courtyard.
My post about our trip to Chen Lu was buried in another thread, so I've copied it below. In general, we found that most of the pottery in Chen Lu was not very refined, but it was a nice side trip to get out of crowded Xian. If you decide to go, I've listed a few of the workshops worth checking out:
My friend and I took the long bus ride to Chen Lu from Xian and very much enjoyed our day there visiting one family workshop after another. I didn't find the pottery in Chen Lu as exquisite as I had hoped, but I purchased a few small pieces I still treasure. The village--and its extremely welcoming inhabitants--was a nice change of pace after Xian, which I found surprisingly westernized.
We inquired about hiring a car to Chen Lu at a travel agency in Xian's Bell Tower Hotel. They quoted us 500 yuan, which we thought was too much. We opted for the bus instead and pretty much followed the advice in Frommers.
We took a cab from our hotel to Xian's main bus station, which is very close to the train station. There, we boarded a bus to Tongchuan. When we debarked at the Tongchuan bus station, we asked someone how to find the mini-bus to Chen Lu. If I recall correctly, you exit the bus station and turn right, then walk up several blocks to a roundabout where the white mini-bus is waiting. Then, it's a bumpy ride up the hill to Chen Lu. (Funny story--along the road to Chen Lu, our bus passed a cow; the ticket girl on the bus turned to my friend and me and said, "Never seen one of those before, huh?" She really believed that we Americans had never encountered a cow before!
Chen Lu itself is a dusty and quiet little village. We went to the main factory suggested by Frommers but couldn't find the exhibits of antique ceramics it had described. The ladies inside just seemed to be mass-producing low quality ceramics.
We wandered around the village on our own and stumbled across three workshops we liked very much. The one I would recommend most highly is the Zhong Guo Yao Zhou Ci. (Zhong Guo means China. Yao Zhou is the region that Chen Lu is located in. Ci means pottery.) Their telephone number is 0919-7483623, but I'm sure if you just ask someone, they can point you to it. It was one of the largest workshops in Chen Lu and had a gate. We liked this workshop the best because in addition to the traditional pottery, they had some more interesting modern pieces. The owners were extremely welcoming and allowed us to watch their potters work and take photos.
The second workshop I'd recommend is Guan Jia Tao Ci. (Guan is the last name of the family that owns this workshop. Phone number: 0919-7483569) Mr. Guan is a friendly man in his forties who has a lovely little girl. He and his elderly father are the two potters. Mr. Guan mentioned that in the past, he has hosted pottery workshops for visitors from abroad.
The third workshop I'd recommend visiting is that of the Xu family (X is pronounced Sh). Telephone: 0919-7482235. This family's work seems to be among the most respected in Chen Lu. Both the potters at Guan Jia and at Zhong Guo Yao Zhou Ci suggested that we stop by and check out their work. Old man Xu was a bit grumpy when we encountered him (which is ironic, since his Chinese name, Xu Kuai Le, means Happy Xu), but his son was extremely friendly. Apparently one son helps the father make the pottery, and the other son paints some of the finished vases.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we didn't find the pottery in Chen Lu particularly refined or unusual, but the village does make for a nice change of pace after Xian. What we particularly liked about Chen Lu was the way the villagers used vases in constructing their railings or pieces of broken pottery in decorating their courtyards and walls. The villagers we encountered were all extremely welcoming. As we roamed the paths, one family even invited us into their home to check out their very charming ceramic courtyard.
