Jianchuan is located in the northwest of Dali and is the northern gate of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. Jianchuan is famous for its black pottery and wood carvings.
The first stop of our trip to Jianchuan was to visit the production of black pottery. Black pottery, first originated from the living utensils of ordinary people, has good air permeability and can preserve food for a long time. The fired pottery is as black as lacquer, as bright as a mirror, as hard as porcelain, and as loud as porcelain. From production to firing, there are only mud and firewood, without any glaze, so it is very healthy to preserve food for a long time. According to the teacher's introduction, these pottery are all handmade. From small to large, from ornaments to utensils, they are simple yet delicate, complex yet generous. While admiring the exquisite pottery, we can't help but admire the wisdom of the ancient people from the bottom of our hearts. Afterwards, we visited a kiln where black pottery was made.
As time goes by, a pot of fragrant tea is baked in black pottery, and the guests who came to look for it are moving forward.
In my opinion, engraving is a different art, which requires not only a high level of drawing, but also precise engraving techniques. Jianchuan woodcarving has a long history, exquisite craftsmanship and profound woodcarving culture. For thousands of years, the industrious and simple ancestors of the Bai nationality in Jianchuan have bred a group of skilled craftsmen with one hammer and one axe, creating and chiseling, and created exquisite and ingenious woodcarving crafts. From the Forbidden City in Beijing to the ancient city of Xi'an, from the Shanghai World Expo Garden to the Golden Horse and Jade Rooster in Kunming, from the ancient town of Guandu to the ancient city of Lijiang, all of them contain the wisdom of Jianchuan carpenters. So on the second stop, we visited a Jianchuan woodcarving shop. The two relatively long wood carvings are not for sale. Although they are not lifelike, they are still vivid. And in the yard behind the store, there is another scene - an unfinished yard. Although it has not yet been completed, we can still see the exquisite wood carvings in the corner of the yard. The small parts are stacked together to form a high raised eaves. We have to be amazed at the skill of the hand-made people.
What the trip to Jianchuan brought us is the infinite wisdom of the working people contained in traditional crafts. Watching the birth of artworks at close range, I seem to have been infected by art and immersed in the world of art.
If you are interested in works of art, if you want to appreciate the craftsmanship handed down through time, you might as well go to Jianchuan and calm down in this peaceful land to appreciate, feel and think.