When Akto pottery meets Jingdezhen ceramic art

Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Wang Yongfei) news: As the carving knife moves swiftly, a pottery vase in the shape of a pomegranate is vividly taking form.

On June 15, 2026, an interview group came to the Milasi Pottery Handicraft Professional Cooperative in Akto County, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. There, they saw craftsman Kurban Turgun sitting upright at a table like a master carver, focusing intently on his work as he carved delicate patterns stroke by stroke.

Unlike before, the vase he is currently working on includes, in addition to pomegranate flowers and almond leaves that reflect the local character of Xinjiang, a window lattice pattern that is popular in the Central Plains. "There are other changes as well. Previously the patterns on the pottery were flat, but now they are mostly three-dimensional relief carvings," Kurban said while wielding his carving knife, unwilling to pause even for a moment. In his view, Akto pottery now offers a greater variety of styles and designs, and its range of patterns and colors has also become much richer.

Kurban Turgun makes an earthenware vase in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on June 15, 2026. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Wang Yongfei)

This change came directly from his training in Jingdezhen, east China's Jiangxi Province. Over centuries of inheritance and refinement, Akto pottery has developed a distinctive artistic style. Its shaping, coloring, firing, and other processes clearly reflect the unique aesthetic sensibilities of the local area. However, the limited range of shapes and colors once held back its inheritance, development, and market reach.

To sustain and advance traditional earthenware craftsmanship under Jiangxi's pairing assistance program for Xinjiang, authorities expand exchanges and technical integration between Xinjiang's unique earthenware craft and Jingdezhen's ceramic techniques starting in 2010. Local pottery artisans travel to Jingdezhen on multiple occasions to learn core ceramic practices including design, shaping, carving and ornamentation, which yields more refined and intricate finished pottery works.

Zhang Bowen, Party Branch Secretary of the Employment Training Base in Baren Township, Akto County, has witnessed these changes firsthand. In terms of form, the pottery has moved from flat painted patterns to three-dimensional carving and then to openwork carving, with techniques becoming increasingly diverse. In terms of color, the glaze has also shifted from a single hue to a rich variety of shades.

The time-honored Akto pottery craft has been designated as a representative item of the autonomous region-level intangible cultural heritage. As the seventh-generation inheritor of this craft, Obulitalipu Aji, who is the chairman of the Akto County Milasi Pottery Handicraft Professional Cooperative, comes from a family that has been practicing pottery for over 160 years. In recent years, he has been both a driving force behind and a beneficiary of the evolution of these skills.

In the exhibition hall on the cooperative's ground floor, the shelves are filled with exquisite pieces of pottery. Vases in green, orange, and natural tones come in a variety of shapes, bright and gleaming, like vividly colored oil paintings that give off a classical, artistic charm.

"Our pottery used to be purely utilitarian," Obulitalipu said with pride. "But after learning from Jingdezhen, we have greatly expanded our range of types and colors. We now produce more than 110 different kinds of pottery, and they have become art objects meant for people to appreciate."

The trip to learn from Jingdezhen amounted to more of a journey of cultural integration. Today, the cooperative creates a wider range of earthenware pieces adorned with fine elements of China's outstanding traditional culture, including lotus flowers, peonies, phoenixes, the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square in Beijing, as well as the Chinese characters symbolizing blessing ("福") and joy ("喜"). "Our creative themes have grown increasingly diverse," said Zhang Bowen.

Three craftsmen make earthenware handicrafts in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on June 15, 2026. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Wang Yongfei)

The traditional craft of clay pottery involves many steps, including selecting materials, crushing and kneading clay, throwing it on the wheel, drying, glazing, firing, and finally removing the finished pieces from the kiln. Back when he was firing pottery alongside his father, Obulitalipu found the firing process the most troublesome, because the success rate was too low. "When we fired in the old kiln, every time we opened it we were filled with dread. The yield was only 50 percent, which meant that half of our hard work was wasted," he said.

Thanks to support from the pairing assistance program, this issue has been markedly improved. In 2016, the cooperative bought modern supporting equipment from Jiangxi Province, and the yield rate jumped to 80 percent. The refined pottery has become more and more popular in the market, selling well throughout the country and even receiving export orders. According to Obulitalipu, the cooperative's sales revenue reached 1.8 million yuan (about 0.25 million U.S. dollars) last year.

The cooperative has also grown larger, drawing more people into the heritage of pottery skills. In the past, Obulitalipu made pottery with just his own family. Now he has trained 14 apprentices and brought more than 50 people into the pottery production process, creating a stable inheritance team.

Kurban is a typical member of this team. With a background in carpentry and twelve years of experience in pottery making, he has very nimble hands. A lump of clay placed in his hands turns, over the course of a few days, into lifelike pottery pieces, ranging from vases and cups to bowls and kettles.

"I have loved drawing since I was young. Doing this work now, I truly enjoy it. I like it a lot and feel a strong sense of accomplishment," he said. He also hopes to enter the vase he is currently working on in a competition and go for a top prize.

Hankiz Ablihat joined this cooperative for work after graduating from Changji University last year, earning over 3,000 yuan a month. Her original role was translation and interpretation. But because she has an interest in drawing, she learned from the experienced craftspeople how to paint on pottery, and she has already mastered more than ten patterns, including peonies, roses, and leaves.

"I really enjoy this job. When I see my paintings turned into beautiful designs on pottery and well received by customers, it makes me truly happy," she said.

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