Wanyao – An Ancient Village Riding the Tides of Time

Wanyao Village has a long history dating back to the reign of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty. It used to be the main base in southern Zhejiang for the production of everyday blue and white porcelain.

A Porcelain Hub

Porcelain once occupied an important place in Wanyao Village. A variety of porcelain wares displayed in the village’s museum keep a record of the past.

The ancestors of Wanyao residents hailed from Lianjiang of Fujian Province. Fleeing from battles, they migrated towards Zhejiang, enduring much hardship on the way. Attracted by the natural environment of Wanyao Village, they finally settled down. The settlers cultivated the untilled land and constructed houses and kilns. Some of them were already skilled in firing porcelain and began to take advantage of the natural resources, using water as power, hay as fuel and kaolin clay as the raw material to revive the ancient technique of porcelain production. While surrounding villages and towns were still in the early stages of establishing an agricultural economy, Wanyao Village had shaped a society with specific divisions of labor and a booming porcelain industry. The village developed into a well-known porcelain-trading center during the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1661-1722) and Emperor Qianlong (1735-1796) in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

As industry thrived, more and more people were attracted to the village, which at one time had over 4,000 residents. Products varied from big and small bowls to cups and spoons, catering to people’s needs in daily life. In addition to the counties in Wenzhou, the products were also sold in Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, and Taiwan, to name a few. In the golden age, numerous workshops, 40 water-powered trip hammers and 18 dragon kilns worked day and night.

An Uncertain Future

Today, advanced techniques have replaced the conventional skills of porcelain making. Kilns fueled by coal, electricity and gas make mass and fast production possible. The dragon kiln in the village has been shut down for years and hand-made bowls are rare in the market – but the memory of them remains clear. The busy porcelain hub is once again a quiet village in which less than 100 residents live, the majority of them senior citizens.