Nixi Black Pottery— Pottery with a thousand-year history
Nixi Black Pottery— Pottery with a thousand-year history
尼西黑陶 传承千年
By Liu Jiatong Edited by Yu Xuebin Photographed by Black Pottery Development Co., Ltd. in Nixi, Shangri-La
Nixi means “where the sun rises” in Tibetan language. Tangdui Village, a Tibetan village in Nixi Township of Shangri-La City, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, was once a mandatory stop on the Ancient Tea Horse Road. Nixi is also a place that has preserved the traditional skills, passed down over thousands of years, of “Nixi Black pottery”, a style of pottery recognized as an intangible national cultural heritage.
Time changes, but the craftsmanship of Nixi Black pottery is very little changed over the craft’s thousands of years history. The pottery makers never use modern machinery. The implements required are simple: a set of wooden tools—generally made by potters for their own use—a wooden case, and several wooden pedestals are all this pottery style requires. The black pottery products are formed from several pieces of clay. Round vessels are made by hand, their forms dependent on the craftsman’s eyes and experience, rather than the electric wheel. In recent years, increasing number of tourists have visited Diqing Prefecture, promoting an unprecedented revival of traditional pottery-making, and turning this ancient craft into an industry in Tangdui Village, to the point where black pottery shops now stand side-by-side in some streets in Dukezong Ancient Town (Shangri-La) and Tangdui Village.
尼西，在藏语中意为“太阳升起的地方”。尼西乡汤堆村，是云南省香格里拉市的一个藏族村，也是旧时茶马古道的必经之路。国家级非物质文化遗产“尼西黑陶”的烧制技艺在这里传承千年。
岁月更迭，但尼西黑陶的制作工艺千年来几乎没有变化。制陶匠人们从不使用现代机械，仅仅是一套自制的木头工具、一方木案和几片木板底a座，这就是他们所有的生产工具。黑陶制品都是用粘土一片片粘成，就算是圆形器皿，也不借助电动转轮，全凭匠人的手、眼与经验。近年来，越来越多的游客涌入迪庆，汤堆村的原始制陶业得到了前所未有的发展，在独克宗古城和汤堆村，黑陶店铺鳞次栉比。
Black pottery fire pan
黑陶火盆
This pan, with its exquisite shape and traditional Tibetan styling, is suitable for boiling water, brewing tea or warming wine, and makes an excellent centerpiece for an evening’s conversation.
Market Price: 600 yuan
Tea caddy
茶叶盒
Black pottery is not completely air-tight, but breathable to the extent ideal for the long-term storage of tea leaves, keeping them perfectly fresh.
Market Price: 420 yuan
Girl carrying water
背水姑娘
A decorative black pottery artifact with practical use, this piece can be used as an ornament by itself, or used as holder of pens or tableware.
Market Price: 140 yuan to 180 yuan
Rooster-shaped tea pot
公鸡泡茶壶
Black pottery tea ware conducts heat relatively slowly, which makes this tea pot safer to handle, and keeps the tea it contains hot for longer. Used to brew semi-fermented tea, it brings out the fragrance of the tea, also the color is so beautiful and touched warmly and softly that you don’t want to put it down.
Market Price: 140 yuan
Tibetan incense burner
藏香炉
Tibetan incense burners are traditional black pottery products. Carved with Tibetan symbols on their sides, these incense burners make solemn and elegant ornaments for any study.
Market Price: 240 yuan
Black pottery pot
黑陶土锅
These black pottery pots are very suitable for storing food, due to the simultaneously breathability and waterproofing qualities of the material. Food cooked with black pottery pots stays fresher, and particularly in winter, stays hot longer when removed from the stove.
Market Price: 400 yuan
