Day 4 - From The Old Pottery Town Of Yingge To Daxi, The Long Walk South In Taiwan
Day 4 - From The Old Pottery Town Of Yingge To Daxi, The Long Walk South In Taiwan
Yesterday when we visited the ceramic museum in Yingge, we learnt about the many techniques used in ash glazing pottery.
Ash glazing was discovered by accident, after potters saw that ashes in the kiln adhered to the pots and created unique patterns in the glazes.
Ashes created by different plant materials had different effects on the glazing.
In Yingge, they experimented with ashes from straw, bamboo, camphor trees, cypress, and other local woods.
Even the outer shells of peanuts were burnt to make ashes for ash-glazing.
The local potters believed that ash-glazed ceramic ware, which was earthy and hardy, was more similar to the struggles they knew in life, than the dainty porcelain bound for elite society or the “Official Ware (Guan Ware)”, which was expensive, highly collectable and became known as an imperial variety of ceramics during the Song dynasty (AD 960–1279).
Ash-glazed ceramics have always had practical functions, and their simple aesthetics interacted with the daily lives of the people.
The local potters worked as ceramic artists, but some were also farmers, tea growers, musicians and educators.
Using plant ash glazes was seen with philosophical eyes, as combining the living clay and the dead ash, to create something that demonstrates that life is eternal.
The plant “died” when it was burnt into ash, but when the ash was mixed into a glaze and smeared over a clay vase, it lived on as a decorated vase for hundreds of years.
The essence of all things is that they return to the ground, and enter another cycle of interdependence.
The contrast and harmony between the earth and the ash raises questions about our relationship to the elements that make up our bodies, and the destruction or continuation of our existence as individuals, as children of the earth, in the all encompassing universe.
Ash-glazed ceramics combine the growth of the plants in the soil, the clay that makes the pot, the water to wet and shape the clay, the intentions of the potter, their labor, the elements of fire, patience and time, all to create something as simple as a cup for tea.
Yingge is a pottery town, and some say it has the best work in all of Taiwan.
The town has several hundred pottery plants, and equal numbers of pottery shops that sell their products.
Every October the town holds the Yingge Ceramics Festival.
Yingge was once called Geshi, because there was a bird-shaped stone near the town.
After World War II, the government renamed this place.
The old streets now are paved with cobblestones, and are lined with many shops and malls selling beautiful ceramics, giftware, stoneware, gems, gold gilded vases and souvenirs.
The old streets no longer have their antique architectural looks, although some ancient buildings can still be found in Yingge Town.
Visitors can appreciate the pottery and porcelain works, and on weekends, holidays and festival days, they can also enjoy street performances and drinks on the street.
There are over 100 ceramic stores on the streets that are arranged in a triangular shape.
The ceramics are pretty much the same as in the past, but now the shops have their own workshops and artists.
Each shop has its own characteristics and the pottery works are exquisite and refined.
There are also places to learn how to make your own pottery.
After walking around Yingge, we decided to walk farther south, along the Dahan River, all the way to the old town of Daxi.
We wanted to get ahead on our walk south, because extremely hot weather was predicted for tomorrow, and combined with some thunderstorms and heavy rains, it might be difficult to do it with our full backpacks.
If we did the walk today, when it was very hot but at least dry, we could spend tomorrow exploring the old town of Daxi, instead of arriving there by early evening, when everything would be closed and we would be too exhausted to explore it.
The river walk was extremely pleasant.
We walked under the shade of trees, by small ponds planted with lilies, by rice fields, by small temples and farm houses.
We saw fields of leek flowers, blooming in white, and the beautiful wetlands created by the overflow of the river.
Today, was our 25th wedding anniversary.
As we walked in the heat, we talked about what twists and turns in our lives got us here.
Did we ever dream that we would be walking under extreme weather conditions, while our luxury car and beautiful multimillion dollar home in Colorado are unused and sitting empty?
At least it didn’t rain, and there was some shade and a breeze at times.
We arrived in Daxi and walked through some beautiful restored wetlands, and saw many day visitors in groups with guides, crossing the large pedestrians-only suspension bridge over the river.
We returned to Yingee by bus, and went to dinner straightaway. We enjoyed wild mushrooms served three ways, in a pasta, a pizza, and a risotto.
Back in our hotel, we washed away the sweat of the day, and did our laundry.
After we arrived in Taiwan and saw how hot it was, we thought to go to Bali instead, and rebook this long walk for the month of November, when it would undoubtedly be cooler.
But now we think that maybe we can do it… I just have to ignore, or simply not look at the weather advisories that the government puts out, saying that it is extremely dangerous to be exercising outdoors in this weather….
With love,
Tali
Today’s Stats:
Steps - 23,283
Daily Distance - 16 km.
Total Distance To Date - 59 km
