China Famous Casserole Origin

The famous Chinese casserole production area is Xingjing County, Ya'an, Sichuan Province. Located at the site of the 2,000-year-old Yandao Ancient City, about 2 kilometers away from Xingjing County, next to the 108 National Highway, and more than 180 kilometers away from Chengdu, it is famous as the origin of Xingjing sandwares, and is known as "the first township of Chinese sandwares", and was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Yingjing is the main production area of sandwares, and the production of sandwares is divided into several procedures, such as material collection, crushing, mixing, embryo making, drying, baking, glazing, and firing. It basically follows the traditional handmade workshop production method inherited from history, which has the characteristics of exquisite, unique and non-repeatable products, and at the same time, this also has the point of cultural relics. A yellowish-white clay is produced here, which is so fine and sticky that the local people call it white clay, the main raw material for the Xingjing black pottery casserole.

The white clay is dried and crushed, and then mixed with cinder in a certain proportion to make the world-famous "black sand". Xingjing black pottery casserole without molds, the master of the production of clay blanks by personal touch, in the dim room can also do blanks, decals, carving. Kiln workers will be billet piece by piece in the kiln yard, and then use the brazier will be huge kiln cover to cover. The kiln workers have to start a fire at 3 or 4 a.m. every morning, and put the clay blanks into the "steamed bread kiln" to be fired.

Yingjing sandwares have a firing history of more than 2,000 years, and are known as "Yixing Zisha" in Jiangsu province. Xingjing sandwares are known as "Xingjing sand pots", which are made from locally produced clay and coal ash, and fired at temperatures of over 1,000 degrees Celsius. In 2008, the Xingjing black sand craftsmanship was included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage.