In January of '03 Marv Bjurlin organized a travel group to Yunnan province in southern China. A frequent exclamation among the 12 participants was "Oh My God!" The group visited kiln sites, museums, paper and textile workshops, temples, and much more. Enjoyment was considerably enhanced by the five Chinese traveling companions including Li Jiansheng, his wife Ying and sister Wenying. Please feel free to order prints from this site, or share the web site address with others interested in China.
Date(s): January 20, 2003. Album by Marvin Bjurlin. 22 - 42 of 101 Total. 11376 Visits.
wonderful set! Am orderng prints - Ann Mortimer, Tue, 28 Jan 2003 7:04AM
22 On top of the kiln This 300' dragon kiln was being prepared for firing. Such kilns recline partially submerged on the hillside. It is easy to walk on top of them.
23 Dragon kiln view Kiln wasters, pieces to be refired firewood fuel all litter the kiln roof.
24 Potting or getting potted In China the bamboo bong is used to water cool their homegrown and unrefined tobacco.
25 Mud wall Everywhere we saw exposed construction it is evident that pottery shards are part of the texture of China.
26 Red door / Green plant Much of the construction in Yunnan province is of thick walled adobe brick.
27 Door curtain This bead curtain was made entirely of recycled tin cans and paper clips.
28 Round gate in a narrow alley In this ancient Ming village we visited many traditional private homes. The juxtaposition of square and circle has a special satisfaction for the Chinese.
29 An school room Some of the spaces in this ancient Ming village have been converted into an elementary school. What a beautiful way to preserve tradition.
30 Architectural detail Ming dynasty architecture utilized elaborate joinery to create structural integrety and at the same time great beauty.
31 Elementary school chalk board I just bet this said, "Be sure to run to school, children, so that you are never late!"
32 Flowering bush Yunnan is known for its vast variety of flowering plants.
33 Potter at work At this kiln site, large storage vessels were made by coil throwing the top half on an already partially dry bottom. The entire form made in two stages out of one lump and one coil.
34 Mountain view Between Mojiang and Xishuanbanna we spent 15 hours on the bus. This mountain road was solid curves.
35 Mountain view We all got used to enjoying the beautiful views when we had to stop the bus to find some convenient bushes!
36 Mountain village Nestled among the terraced mountain side were small communities consisting of 15-20 homes.
37 Fish lunch At a roadside eatery we often had very fresh fish soup. It was fun to watch food being prepared for us.
38 Vessel with ring texture The potter makes this form using the hammer and anvil technique to expand a wheel thrown cylindar. With the anvil held inside the form, a paddle with a ring design is used to pound the exterior.
39 Fired storage jars Often we found entire rooms full of beautiful jars. We all wanted to take examples home, but alas, there was no room in the suitcase.
40 Bamboo fence, terraced gardens It seems that all of China has been hand carved! Almost no space is wasted. Even the ridges separating the terraces are planted.
41 Expressway construction In two years a mountain highway will be completed which will reduce our 30 hours of travel between Kunming and Xishuanbanna to two and a half. This is a very impressive project with dozens of major tunnels and massive bridges.
42 Mountainside gardening It is no wonder these folks are trim. Can you imagine carrying the produce home after a day of cultivating in this context?