A family's legacy returned, with interest

The Su family's craft integrates ceramics, architecture, sculpture and religion. Its production process is long and complicated, involving selection of raw material, kneading and modeling of the clay, drying and firing it, cooling and then glazing it.

Firing the tile is a dynamic process requiring high temperatures. The artisans are picky about thickness of the material, as minor deviations can ruin the final product. Glazing, of course, is the key.

Su and Ge worked together to make peacock blue glazed tiles, a long lost craft even within the Su family. After countless experiments, and looking up many reference books in libraries, they made a breakthrough in 1981.

Thanks to the peacock blue glazed tiles they created, the Yongzuo Temple in Taiyuan and other places of historical interest have finally replaced their damaged tiles and decorations.

The duo have mastered the technique－the raw materials, control of the temperature and duration of firing hold the key.

And now, Ge is trying to improve the craft used in making peacock blue glazed tiles. "I have discovered that peacock blue is not just one color, but a series of gradations from green to blue, the glaze depending on the firing temperature," Ge said.

In 2007, Ge accepted Su Yongjun, the eldest grandson of Su Jie, as his apprentice, thus returning the Su family craft to the family. Su Yongjun is now the eighth-generation inheritor of the craft.

Ge and Su Yongjun are now working together to make colored glazed tile handicrafts. They also train interested young people in Taiyuan.

Peng Ke'er contributed to this story.