Quick Answer: What Is Dai Slow-Wheel Pottery?
Dai (傣族, Dǎizú) slow-wheel pottery (慢轮制陶, mànlún zhìtáo) is a handcraft documented in Xishuangbanna (西双版纳, Xīshuāngbǎnnà), Yunnan. A potter can turn the vessel gradually while shaping it by hand and use a patterned wood paddle to mark the surface.[1][4]
- Recorded places include Mandou in Jinghong and other Xishuangbanna villages.[1]
- The clay vessels include household and Buddhist temple objects.[2]
- Yu Meng (玉勐, Yù Měng) learned from her mother and later taught the craft.[2]
Wheel movement shapes the vessel. The paddle can leave the surface pattern.
Small impressions on a pot show how the clay was worked before firing. Look for the repeated shape of the paddle’s mark as well as the rounded form of the clay vessel.
What the Wheel and Paddle Each Do
The national record describes hand-turned and foot-moved wheels, as well as shaping without a wheel. With a wheel, rotation lets the potter work around the vessel a section at a time. A wooden paddle can compress and mark the outside. The record describes clay mixed with sand and multiple ways of firing, including open firing. These details give a starting point for comparing Chinese pottery and porcelain.[1][4]
What the Vessels Are Used For
The craft includes containers for rice or water as well as cups and vases. Yu Meng’s work also includes pieces made for Buddhist temples. The objects belong to everyday and ceremonial settings in Dai culture. Dai bamboo houses offer another example of how local materials take shape around the needs of a household.[2][3]
How Yu Meng Learned and Taught the Craft
Yu Meng began learning from her mother in 1981 and later studied with other potters. In 2009 she founded a center for teaching slow-wheel pottery. It is a documented example of skills moving from family learning into organized instruction. China included the craft in the first national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2006.[1][2]
Material skills also support community performance, as in the separate tradition of making Dai elephant-foot drums.
FAQs About Dai Slow-Wheel Pottery
Why is the wheel called slow?
The potter moves it gradually by hand or foot while working on the clay.[1]
What makes the marks on the clay?
The patterned face of a wooden paddle can impress the design on the surface.[1]
Is all Dai pottery made for temples?
Recorded pieces include ordinary containers and other household goods as well as temple objects.[2][3]
Fuentes
[1] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Dai slow-wheel pottery
[2] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Yu Meng
[3] Xinhua. Rural primary school embraces ancient Dai pottery
[4] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Dai slow-wheel pottery and its makers