All fired up

In addition to perfecting the craftsmanship, Zhang has made a special effort to promote the historical art.

For the past 15 years, Zhang has traveled to many earthenware production regions across the country to learn about their crafts and collect related items.

In 2019, Zhang established an earthenware museum, which has displayed items from Pingding and other areas of the country, including production tools, molds, account ledgers, as well as text and photos from the county's ceramic factory which was set up in 1958.

The move is out of his concerns for the inheritance of the traditional craft.

"It is difficult to cultivate successors, as it requires a lot of time to pick up the related skills," Zhang says.

"Second, fewer young people are willing to engage in the trade, which is arduous," he adds.

The museum has enabled local students to experience and develop an interest in the earthenware firsthand.

"They have to appreciate its charm and come to like it before they can voluntarily continue the tradition," Zhang says.

To help more people understand Pingding earthenware, in 2019 Zhang started to showcase the manufacturing process of sand pottery on the short-video platform Kuaishou.

To date, he has posted more than 400 short videos and delivered in excess of 100 livestream broadcasts, which helped him to gain more than 100,000 followers.

Wang Xia from Hebei province purchased several Pingding earthenware items for brewing and drinking tea after seeing Zhang's performance.

"It's amazing how ordinary clay can become a work of art in the hands of a master," Wang says.

Speaking about his future plans, Zhang says he wants more people to see the charm of earthenware.

"The path of inheritance is endless, and my dream is to carry forward the Pingding earthenware craft and bring it to the world's attention."