Yichang Color Pottery

In the 1980s, archeologists excavated a site containing Chengbeixi culture on the outskirts of Yichang. Chengbeixi culture originated during the early Neolithic period, about 8,000 years ago. Among a large amount of pottery unearthed at the site, more than 80 percent is porcelain with red coating, black crockery, and of Jomon style. The Daxi and Qujialing cultures emerged about 5,000 years ago and a large amount of pottery has also been unearthed from these sites. From the Qing Dynasty (1636 – 1912) to the Republic of China (1912 – 1949), many areas along the Yangtze River near the city of Yichang were well known for producing pottery.

Pottery artists through the ages have inherited traditional techniques while constantly innovating. These works have integrated many skills and artistic touches that allow for the glaze to appear transparent and shining while keeping a vivid and deep color. Ceramic murals produced in Yichang are highly acclaimed in China and have transformed into an art style with strong and distinctive local characteristics.

In the 1950s, the Yichang Painted Pottery Factory was founded. The factory’s production scale, product quality, and social influence reached its peak in the 1980s, and Yichang became known as the "color pottery capital of western China". Many exquisite and popular pottery murals were made during that era, such as "White Cloud and Yellow Crane" on the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, which is one of the four most famous ancient buildings of China, and the huge 192-square meter "Manchu Ethnic Culture" ceramic mural in the Great Hall of the People, which occupies a whole wall of the Hall of Liaoning.

In 2018, Yichang color pottery craftmanship was listed as a Yichang intangible cultural heritage.