In the eyes of the potter, clay is endowed with life. Even the crudest piece of natural clay becomes a thing of permanence after it is shaped and fired. Defying the modernization that has reached into every corner of Taiwan's society, many people find pleasure in the creation of ceramic pieces during their spare time. As a result, pottery workshops have sprung up all over the island to meet the demand.

Lin Pao-chia, owner of one of these workshops in Taipei, has students from all walks of life and from many countries. He said that at first, students are taught to improve the plasticity and ductility of the clay through aging and sieving out coarse material. After being mixed with water, the clay may require further kneading or "wedging" to remove air pockets and ensure uniform consistency. Handmade pottery may then be shaped from slabs or coils of clay, by being thrown on the potter's wheel, or by molding. These methods can be combined, and lend themselves to many variations. For example, by pressing the clay into molds, knobs and other appendages can be made to be attached to wheel-shaped forms. Large pottery items, such as storage jars may be shaped by a combination of wheel throwing and coil building. Each method of shaping has its own characteristics, which the student must learn to recognize.

Lin also has some absorbent plaster molds or castings in his workshop, which students can use to make up models. After pouring liquid slip into the molds, the student waits for the outside to harden before pouring the rest off. When the wall has reached the necessary thickness, it is allowed to set. Then the cast is opened and the piece is ready for the firing process.

Pottery is always dried before it is fired, to make sure it retains the desired shape. Lin said that the earliest pottery kiln used in China was a simple box structure to enclose the fuel and pottery piece. A form of mass production was achieved later through the development of a system of inter-connected kilns place on a hillside. Starting from the lowest kiln, the various stages of firing were completed as each piece moved up the hill. Each kiln was partly heated from waste gases from the preceding kiln in what was an early example of fuel conservation. Nowadays, fuel oil, natural gas and electricity are used for pottery firing.

After firing, the pottery piece has to be glazed. Usually applied by dipping or spraying, pottery glazes are made of mixtures of flint, feldspar, clay, lime, lead, borax and other materials. Sometimes, the glaze is applied to the air-dried piece before it is fired, in whcih case it fuses during the baking process. If the glaze is applied after the pottery is fired, it must be fired a second time to achieve the fusion. Unglazed pottery items, however, are by no means considered the cheapest or least refined.

Colors in pottery are achieved through the use of metals, such as iron, copper, cobalt, chromium, manganese, nickel, uranium, vanadium, selenium, cadmium, gold, silver and platinum. The piece can be painted either before or after it is glazed.

The origin of ceramics in China can be traced back to prehistoric times. A distinctive style later became associated with each historical dynasty. The Han Dynasty (202 B.C. - 220 A.D.) saw the introduction of glazed pottery into China. The pottery in this era was mainly soft earthenware, and the glaze, lead oxide tinted with addition of copper or iron. Typical pieces of the Han Dynasty are the small figurines used during funeral ceremonies. Pottery of the Tang Dynasty (618-906 A.D.) is noted for the free and imaginative use of brightly colored lead glazes.

Sung pottery, dating from 960-1279 A.D. is remarkable for its simplicity of form and subtlety of colors and textures. It was during this period that kaolin was introduced and the transition from porcelain stoneware to genuine porcelain occurred. The most celebrated Sung pieces are the so-called transmutation glazes, celadons, copper reds and flame effects obtained by the subtle manipulation of firing methods. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Chinese achieved technical mastery over the manufacture of porcelain. New and brighter colors were developed which could be fixed to the previously fired porcelain by means of a third firing at lower temperatures. Chinese porcelain reached its full glory during the reign of Kang Hsi (1662-1722) of the Ching Dynasty. This era has been characterized as unquestionably the most brilliant period in the history of ceramic art.

Lin is currently preparing an international ceramics friendship exhibition for students in his workshop. Through the efforts of enthusiastic artists such as himself, in the promotion of Chinese ceramic art, the life in clay is assured of being preserved.