The Making of a Porcelain Bowl

Jindazhen is the birthplace of porcelain and remains one of the biggest ceramic exporters today. We'll take a look at a small portion of what happens in this city. Recycled clay is mixed with water and sifted, then put into a press that removes excess water. It is put in a pug mill which mixes it up to remove any air bubbles. Fresh clay comes out the other side where it is cut and shipped. The clay is received at a factory like this and cut into smaller pieces. The factory has dozens of molds for each type of pot. A piece of clay is put into a mold and set on this machine called a jigger jolly. It turns the mold while a moving arm forms the inside shape of the bowl, simultaneously trimming the excess clay off the top. Immediately it is put on a press, forming small holes in the bowl to create a unique design. Set aside, it awaits to dry. Later, someone will remove the bowl from the mold and fill the holes with a special glaze. The bowl is trimmed and sanded for smoothness. Decals are applied. The water helps the image transfer from the paper to the bowl. After the decals are on, the bowls are dipped or sprayed with a clear glaze. They are then loaded onto a cart and taken to the kiln room. The bowls are loaded into the kiln by the dozens and fired at temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The dishes are cooled, carefully removed, and carted to the warehouse just across the street. Here they are checked for quality, boxed, and either shipped out or sold on site. Mini pots and rice bowls like this are produced in Jindezhen. Any extra clay from the process is collected, bagged, and sent for recycling. I really enjoyed making this video guys, this little mini documentary, and I hope that you likewise enjoyed watching it. I did my best David Attenborough slash Morgan Freeman slash all those really good narrators. Anyway, thanks for watching. Please share this video if you liked it, give it a thumbs up, and remember to subscribe and hit the little bell button so you don't miss my next video, which by the way is coming next week. I will be doing a video essay on Fantastic Mr. Fox, so it's a great movie, and I hope to see you then. Remember to smile!