Chengcheng Yaotou Ceramic Firing and Manufacturing Skills 澄城尧头陶瓷烧制技艺

时间：2006年
Time: 2006
类别：传统手工技艺
Category: Traditional Handicraft Skills
地区：陕西
Region: Shaanxi Province
编号：Ⅷ-12
Ref. No.: VIII-12
申报地区或单位：陕西省澄城县
Nominating unit[s]: Chengcheng County, Shaanxi Province
陕西关中东部的澄城县尧头镇出产粗瓷。此地煤炭资源丰富，又有坩土矿分布于沟涧的石崖中，夹生白、紫两色的原料，便于烧制陶瓷、砂器。当地农民利用农闲，夏秋制坯彩绘，入冬烧窑销售，代代相传。
Coarse ceramic is manufactured in Yaotou Town, Chengcheng County, located in eastern Guanzhong of Shaanxin. Yaotou Town abounds with coal resource. Cliff rocks in the gullies contain alkali soil as well as white and purple materials that are suitable for firing ceramic and clayware. During the off-farming period in summer and autumn, local farmers prepare ceramic blanks and make colored drawing. Then the blanks are fired in kilns for sale in winter. This habit has been inherited from generation to generation
据明代县志记载，澄城"瓷砂始于唐"，至明清时达于兴盛。尧头瓷全部用土法手工生产，原料采自当地坩土，加工过程包括泥浆、制坯、施釉、煅烧四道工序。浆泥先取干土矿石粉碎，投入水池浸泡数日，再搅拌成浆，分池沉淀。粗泥制成瓮、盆等大件器皿，细泥做碗、碟等精细瓷器。瓷业产品与群众的生产、生活紧密相联，其造型粗中见细、拙中寓巧，给人以朴实自然的美感，与南方陶瓷细腻精巧的风格迥异。瓷虎枕玲珑光润、虎视眈眈却又稚拙可爱，既是枕头又是摆设，并含有驱邪壮胆之意；小孩坐的"懒老婆"，带有原始彩陶的味道，小孩坐在里边，当妈妈的可以腾出手来做家务；黑色的老鼠罐、狮子罐形象奇特，盖上以各种形态的老鼠、狮子作纽手，妙趣横生。
As noted in the county records of Ming Dynasty, "ceramic and clayware manufacturing dated from Tang Dynasty" in Chengcheng and was in full flourish in Ming and Qing dynasties. Yaotou ceramic is manually made from local alkali soil through indigenous techniques. The manufacturing process contains four procedures, namely slurry preparing, blanking, glazing and calcining. As for preparing slurry, dry soil ore is first ground and immersed in water pot for several days before stirring. Then the slurry is poured into separate pools for sedimentation. Coarse slurry is used for big-size vessels like urns and basins. Fine slurry is made into fine ceramic like bowls and dishes. Ceramic products are closely related to people's production and life. They appear to be coarse and simple but are actually fine and exquisite. They present a sense of simple and natural beauty and have a style quite different from that of fine ceramic in South China. Tiger-pattern ceramic pillows are exquisite and smooth, with the tiger's eyes staring, yet in an innocent and lovely look. They can serve both as a pillow and as a piece of furnishings carrying the meaning of evilness-exorcising and courage boosting; "lanlaopo" is a kind of baby-seat with the style of original color pottery and the mum can put her baby inside it so as to do housework at the same time; black mouse-kettles and lion-kettles are peculiar and the handles in different patterns of mice or lions on the covers make the ceramic full of wit and humor.
尧头粗瓷釉色多用白、黄、黑三种，还有蓝色及棕红色。各种器物上装饰的花卉、动物与当地的剪纸、面花造型同出一源，内容多是莲花、牡丹、菊花或福、禄、寿、禧等字样。
Major glaze colors of Yaotou coarse ceramic are white, yellow, black, blue and brownish red. The decorative flowers and animals on the ceramic share the same origin with that of local paper-cut and flour-modeling. Themes are mostly lotus, peony, chrysanthemum or Chinese characters of fu (good fortune), lu (prosperity), shou (longevity) and xi (happiness), etc.
近几十年来，人们的生活方式及消费观念发生了很大改变，尧头陶瓷的瓮、盆、罐等主要产品用途渐失。目前，陶瓷艺人大都已六七十岁，新培养的艺人不足20人，仅存的小作坊只能视市场需求断断续续地制造少量的应时产品，尧头陶瓷技艺至此已届濒危，亟待抢救。
In recent years, the changes in people's lifestyle and consumption concepts are driving the major products of Yaotou ceramic such as urns, basins and kettles to become useless. Most ceramic craftsmen are in their sixties or seventies and there are only less than 20 newly trained craftsmen. The few small workshops left can only temporarily manufacture several products according to market demands. Yaotou ceramic skills are dying out and in urgent need for saving and protection.
相关传承人：
Inheritor(s):
李义仓
Li Yicang