The watchman of earthenware in Kashgar

Nearly every family in the old town of Kashgar in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region owns pieces of local earthenware, whether they be dishes, cups, bottles or bowls, and those made by Tursun Zunun are the best-known.

As the sixth generation of earthenware makers in the old town of Kashgar, Tursun grew up making pottery with his father and grandfather. His home is seated in the old town’s southeastern highland, facing the Tuman River that runs through Kashgar. It has become the choice location for tourists who want to learn about earthenware. The ideal location of his home has made it a gathering place for craftsman who can use the clay that lies conveniently in the nearby river.

Tursun said there were more than a hundred earthenware workshops during the heyday of the craft. However, no more than five workshops have survived the assaults of modern industry, and earthenware is no longer a necessity for Kashgar’s residents.

“Without the government’s protection and the development of tourism here, earthenware craftsmanship would probably be lost forever,” Tursun said.

As an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, he receives a subsidy of 4,800 yuan ($764) annually from the government. In addition, the repair of the old town and the influx of tourists have injected much vigor into his workshop.

Outside Tursun’s home, a massive Ferris wheel displays the old town’s modernity and vitality with the ancient winding Tuman River as its backdrop.