Love affair with porcelain defies age

NANCHANG — Over 15 km from the center of the famed ceramics capital of Jingdezhen in East China’s Jiangxi province, several eye-catching buildings stand beside the road, decorated with fragments of brightly colored porcelain that dazzle tourists.

Strange though it may seem, these impressive structures in Xinping village, Fuliang county, were designed by a woman when she was in her 80s, standing as a tribute to her favorite art form.

Now 91, Yu Ermei has devoted a lifetime to porcelain, originally as a craftswoman and dealer, but now as a self-funding creator of porcelain palaces, as she dubs them.

Born in 1930, Yu started at the age of 12, working as an apprentice to her uncle in a porcelain workshop in Jingdezhen. Since the first day, she never shied away from the drudgery of the craft.

Although petite, Yu mustered all her strength for the skills required in the 72-step porcelain-making procedure. Such diligence subsequently won her jobs at two Staterun porcelain factories, where she was awarded the accolade of excellent female worker time and again.

After retiring at the age of 50, Yu did not dwell upon her past career, but opened her own kiln and porcelain factory. She made a fortune selling porcelain products within China and to countries like Russia and Thailand.

In 2007, Yu made a business trip to North China’s Tianjin Municipality, where she saw a unique house built and decorated with copious amounts of porcelain.

It was that trip that inspired her to create her own porcelain palace in Jingdezhen. “At that time, I spent a sleepless night thinking about the fact that China’s porcelain capital did not have any porcelain buildings like that,” she recalls.

So in 2010, in the twilight of her years and quite alone, Yu put up a makeshift shed in the village and started designing a porcelain palace based on two photographs of circular structures known as tulou, meaning “earthen buildings”, which are typical of East China’s Fujian province.

Her plan was met with resistance from almost all her friends and relatives. They did not understand her vision, and even wondered whether she might be going senile.

But Yu’s perseverance prevailed, and she set about the work of construction. To fund the project, she used up all her savings and even sold a house inherited from her mother.

Over a period of four years, Yu’s blueprint was translated into a three-story circular building. Tens of thousands of porcelain fragments, bottles and plates were incorporated into the structure, testament to the unquenchable fires of Jingdezhen’s kilns.

The first palace was completed in 2016, while the second is almost finished; two more structures are under construction.

A tour of the first porcelain palace is like diving into a wonderland. The facade is covered in bright mosaic patterns reflecting Chinese culture — zodiac signs, dragons and phoenixes.

Inside, the effect is simply magical: windows formed in the shape of a porcelain vase; ceilings decorated with delicate porcelain bowls; shimmering walls embedded with unique pieces of porcelain; and paintings showing classic Chinese folk stories.

At an age when many would expect Yu to be enjoying a relaxed retirement, she is still active, never slowing her pace. Not only is she supervising the construction of more buildings, but she conducts guided tours for the growing number of visitors.

Jin Xiaofan, a 25-year-old tourist from Yunnan province, was so impressed with the exquisite porcelain palaces that she made a video call to share the view with her family. “Grandma Yu has made me realize that it is never too late to chase our dreams,” she says.

When the visitors are gone, Yu approaches the palaces with labored footsteps and caresses the glittering porcelain pieces, pondering which parts still need to be fixed.

Looking ahead, Yu says that, even if she becomes largely immobile, she will stay beside her palaces, which she views as her children, the product of a lifelong love affair with porcelain.

“It’s reassuring to be next to them,” she says.