Once-impoverished area thrives on purple clay industry
Fan Zefeng has performed two contrasting roles for 12 years. By day, he works as the Communist Party of China chief in his village, shuttling between meetings, visiting residents and helping solve a range of problems.
In the evenings, the 46-year-old can be found in an art studio working on his purple clay teapots and teaching students.
"I love this way of life. Dealing with village affairs has polished and broadened my mindset, like a kind of spiritual practice, and has also helped improve my art," he said. "My two roles are aimed at the same goal-to make life in our village better."
Fan grew up in the village of Xiwang, in Yixing, a city in Jiangsu province.
Like many other families in this area, he learned how to make purple clay teapots, or zisha hu, from his mother when he was a child. His passion for the craft developed, and he eventually made the teapots for a living.
Fan said his decision to choose an artistic career was not solely about making a name for himself, but also to turn Xiwang into a renowned pottery production base globally, in turn improving local living standards.
Yixing has long been renowned for its purple clay art. Boasting a history of more than 2,000 years, the city sits on the west bank of Taihu Lake and is known as China's pottery capital. The pottery in Yixing differs from that elsewhere, as it is made from a special purple clay sourced from local rock mines.
Zhou Xiaodong, director of the Yixing Ceramics Museum, said purple clay teapots became popular due to a change in the way people drank tea during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
"Instead of boiling hard-pressed tea bricks, people turned to pouring hot water into a pot to brew tea leaves," he said.
As a teapot handmade from purple clay could better retain the aroma of the tea leaves and enhance the taste, such vessels in Yixing quickly became widely sought by the literati and the wealthy.
Xiwang was one of the first places in China to begin crafting items made from purple clay, and this profession has remained a pillar industry in the village since the Ming Dynasty.
However, for a long time, this prized clay failed to bring prosperity to the village.
Fan said Xiwang was stricken by poverty in the 1970s and '80s, when many farmers had to work at pottery plants in off-peak seasons to earn more money to support their families. During those times, the purple clay industry was confined to small workshops that were unable to maintain the level of quality and had little scope to be creative.
"I think the traditional format hampered the development of this art form," Fan added.
Believing in the power of collective wisdom and strength, he and several other young artists set up a professional purple clay art studio with other villagers in 2009-the first of its kind in the country.
Villagers gathered at the studio to learn and exchange skills. Master craftsmen and art teachers were invited to conduct classes and hold exhibitions to improve local handicraft expertise, Fan said.
A more-competitive marketing approach was also adopted to promote local products.
The production of items made from purple clay soon evolved from a closed format to one that was more open and backed by a complete industrial chain comprising raw material processing, design and production, training, marketing and promotion.
Rising popularity
The village now has three comprehensive industry bases, 12 creative art teams and more than 300 art studios. Products from Xiwang have grown in popularity among purple clay enthusiasts.
Last year, the annual output value of purple clay products in Xiwang was 260 million yuan ($40.08 million), the highest of all villages in Dingshu town. Villagers' annual income has also risen to about 100,000 yuan-among the highest in Yixing.
Fan said, "Over the years, Party members have greatly revitalized purple clay art in the village," adding that many veteran artists are also Party members who provide free training to students.
One of these veterans is Zhou Juying, who has worked in the industry for more than 30 years and has taught many female students at her studio.
"I cannot remember the exact number of students I have taught. It could be close to 200. Many of them have already opened studios and started their own businesses," she said.
Zhou added that the village has undergone sweeping changes over the past three decades. When she relocated to Xiwang after her marriage, the village did not have a proper road, and even the local tricycle driver was unwilling to drive into Xiwang, as he knew his vehicle would become stuck in muddy tracks.
The village now has concrete paving leading to each home. Some 180 studios lining a single street produce handmade teapots and other artworks made from purple clay. The prices of these products range from hundreds of yuan to tens of thousands of yuan for prized items.
"The government has been pivotal in making village life better and opening up unprecedented opportunities for us. I now work at my studio in the day and dance in the plaza with my neighbors in the evening. To me, life here is no different to that in urban areas," Zhou said.
Fan said: "If rural areas achieve prosperity, the whole country thrives. The report for the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017 mentioned the strategy of rural vitalization. I have seen governments at all levels working to explore new ways to boost rural areas."
In February, China unveiled its No 1 Central Document, which states that efforts will be made to advance rural vitalization and accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.
By 2025, the nation will see substantial progress in the modernization of agriculture and the countryside, with achievements made in establishing a solid agricultural foundation and narrowing the income gap between rural and urban residents, according to the document.
Feng Xiaochun, Yixing's Party chief, said village vitalization is a key task for the city, where about 50 percent of residents live in rural areas.
"Only when we achieve rural vitalization can we achieve success in Yixing," Feng said during the city's rural working conference in March.
Feng also pointed out that rural vitalization is not only about agriculture, but also involves deepening "the connection between rural areas and ecology, culture, sports and healthcare businesses, to upgrade the economic function of the area."
Fan agrees with this sentiment.
"Villages are different from each other and need to find unique features and strong points during the exploration of rural vitalization. Purple clay art is definitely our passport to prosperity," he said.
Fan added that he has a plan for Xiwang to showcase its art to the world, which will see old factories in the village renovated and a center set up for pottery artists from home and abroad to display their work.
Meanwhile, international exhibitions and contests have been held to attract more artists and fans to the village. Artists from nations such as Japan, South Korea and Malaysia have visited Xiwang to set up studios and exhibit their work.
Experts in spatial design have also been approached to revamp the village.
"Xiwang is my home and is where my heart and soul lie," Fan said. "I hope to popularize the ancient craft of purple clay for more people and I also hope more visitors can come to the countryside to realize their dreams in the land of purple clay."
