Chen Lu and Mr. Li

Old kilns in Chen Lu

Mr. Li's coal kiln; he later sold us pieces that he made and fired in this coal kiln, which he no longer uses

Mr. Li with his Ming Dynasy table in his cave

Chen Lu was really high up in the mountains. It took us quite a while to get up there in our bus and along the road were a number of hitchhikers, mostly school aged children, looking for rides home. Chen Lu literally translates to stacked kilns and there the whole town was a mixture of cave-dwellings and defunct kilns.

Mr. Li’s studio was mostly made up of people making molds. The Chinese government gives him a sizable yearly stipend because he maintains his studio in the mountains. Mr. Li invited us into his home, which is one simple room built into the mountain side. The cave and home itself was simple, but Mr. Li pointed out to us his Ming Dynasty tables which were worth millions of yuan.