Chenlu, an old hub for ceramic making

Located in the mountainous area of Tongchuan city, Northwest China’s Shaanxi province, Chenlu is an ancient town known for its kilns and ceramics. On its loessial land of dozens of miles around, big and small kilns dot everywhere. As the biggest ceramic kiln in Shaanxi province, the Yaozhou Kiln in Chenlu has its fires blazing for more than 1,400 years. The ancient ceramic handicrafts are handed down to the generations today.

Chenlu formed its distinctive rural features during the long history of ceramic making. Pots make its village walls, and ceramic pieces make the roads. More than 120 kilns in Chenlu ancient town were named the national key cultural relics protection units in 2006.

People in Chenlu still live in caves as their ancestors did. The yard of a person’s cave house is often the cave roof of another. The roads in the town paved with ceramic shards and failed pottery works have withstood the vicissitudes of the ancient town, and are witnessing the diligence of Chenlu people today.