Pottery workshop- The Way of Survival for Jingdezhen Throwing Masters

A hundred years ago in Jingdezhen, ceramic craftsmen were mainly divided into three groups.
First, the throwing masters — they shaped the clay on the wheel, creating the forms of porcelain. That was always the very first step.
Second, the painters — these were the artisans who decorated the thrown pieces with hand-painted designs.
And third, the kiln workers — the ones who fired the ceramics to life.

Back then, kilns were still wood-fired, fueled with pine resin. The potter’s wheel didn’t run on electricity yet, but the tool itself had already been around for several centuries. In Jingdezhen, people would spin the heavy wheel by hand, letting its momentum carry the clay while they shaped it. It wasn’t fast, and controlling the angle and force wasn’t easy. Throwing clay was a skill that depended completely on experience and practice.

But things changed. A century later, the ones who gained the most fame were not the throwers or kiln workers, but the painters. Their artwork was what buyers remembered. People saw the finished piece and praised the painter’s brushwork, while the craftsmen behind the wheel or the kiln slowly faded from sight.

Today, throwing masters face even more challenges: machines, slip-casting, and molds can all replace their work. Does that mean hand-throwing has no place left in Jingdezhen? Not at all. These masters still survive because many painters and artists need unique, handmade clay bodies to decorate. A mass-produced mold piece doesn’t carry the same charm.

So most throwers in Jingdezhen work like freelancers. They don’t stay fixed in one workshop. Instead, they get paid per piece. If one studio has no orders, they move to another. It’s flexible, but not unstable — because the pay is actually good. On average, a throwing master can earn about 2,000 US dollars a month. In Jingdezhen, with the low cost of living in Jiangxi province, that’s a very decent income.

Teaching becomes another survival path. Many throwing masters now work as instructors in training centers, passing on their skills to students from China and abroad.

So, if you ever think about coming to Jingdezhen to learn throwing, or even to teach, there’s definitely a place for you here. And we can help connect you with the right opportunities.