Porcelain stone mill in the Hutian Village, next to Jingdezhen.
Photo: © Jan-Erik Nilsson, 1991

The second ingredient of the man made porcelain clay is here simply called "porcelain stone". It is a light, vaguely greenish rather soft feldtspathic looking stone. Only a few hours by car to the south of Jingdezhen is San bao peng, the porcelain stone quarry that today is the closest to Jingdezhen.

Today all of the ceramic industry in Jingdezhen gets its porcelain clay from the same clay mill. Porcelain stone is there crushed in a huge electric mill under a hellish noise and mixed with Kaolin clay in one operation. The final product, a white powder, is delivered in paper bags to the many different workshops.

But not all clays are manufactured by this modern method. Everywhere in the Jingdezhen are, along all brooks and rivers where there is water enough to power a water wheel you see small idyllic looking huts covered by straw roofs. As you come nearer you feel the ground under you vibrating by a rhythmic thumping you can feel in your feet's and legs. Here ironclad wooden hammers are still crushing porcelain stone in the traditional way.

In ancient times, (referring to the Song dynasty - contemporary with the Vikings...) my guide tells me, they were using windmills to power the stone mills. My father worked with this hammer before me, he told me. His work was to replace the wooden clubs since they gets worn out after a month, he said.

- What is porcelain made of, the Jesuit missionarie Pere de Entrecolle asked, in the early 18th century.

- Bai tun tse (Petuntse) - small white bricks - the Chinese potter answered, with a smile, I guess.