Tina Chen WITH music, television, computer games and other things competing for our attention, creating a piece of handmade pottery is a quiet way of spending your leisure time, which leaves you with a greater sense of accomplishment than most pastimes. Pottery making is one of the oldest art forms in the world. There is a long history of pottery production in almost all developed cultures, and some vanished cultures left nothing behind but their pottery. Cultures especially noted for fine pottery include the Chinese, Cretan, Greek, Persian, Mayan, Japanese, and Korean cultures, as well as modern Western cultures. Elements of pottery art, upon which different degrees of emphasis have been placed at different times, include shape, decoration by painting, carving and glazing. It is not dependent on any age group or artistic background. Different forms of pottery art, such as ceramic art, are used to create stoneware, earthenware, and porcelain. Creating handmade pottery has many advantages over simply buying pottery. Handmade pottery is neither mass-produced nor characterless. You have the power to make it different to an ordinary plate, bowl or cup. Making pottery at home is popular with housewives in Europe and Japan, as most people are wealthy enough to have the equipment. In China, there are shops that offer a pottery-making experience. In Shenzhen Book City CBD store in Futian District, there is a shop with a wide range of materials for handmade pottery. It is great fun to create your work of art. Before you sit in front of the wheel, just pick a slab of clay and wait for it to become hard enough. Then, an instructor can help you make the clay into a decorative item such as a leaf, a bunch of grapes, a rabbit or a monkey or something more practical such as a vase, a cup, or a plate. To make it more beautiful, you can carve whatever patterns you like or even hollow-out patterns. The semi-finished items need to be left to dry for about 10 days. The instructor will then make small adjustments to your piece to raise it to a professional standard. Finally, your pottery will be heated in an oven at about 1,300 degrees Celsius. “Pottery making gave me a form of self-expression,” said a customer identified as Zeng, “and I also enjoy the anticipation of seeing the finished product.” “You never know whether it will be successful until you take it out of the oven,” said Zeng. “But the sense of accomplishment at creating a successful work is incomparable.” Every work of handmade pottery is unique. Even if you paint the same design using the same color, the temperature in the oven and the time in the oven will alter the appearance of the finished work. Handmade pottery shops have a relaxed environment and provide tea or coffee to drink while you work on your masterpiece. The price of making one item of pottery is 98 yuan (US$12). A package offer is 680 yuan per 10 items. Advanced lessons are also offered at 1,680 yuan per 10 classes. Pottery making is also a good hobby for children. So why not spend a day in one of the shops with your family? In Youth Activities Center, there is a handmade pottery shop frequented by children. The price is 35 yuan per 90 minutes. Advanced lessons are offered during the summer holiday. Simple & Nice Handmade Pottery Workshop (素能手工陶艺馆) N231, North Area, Shenzhen Book City CBD store, Futian District (深圳书城中心城北区N231) Tel: 2360-9582 Yoyo Ceramic Workshop (悠悠陶艺吧) Room 105, Technology Building, Youth Activities Center, Hongling Road Central, Futian District (深圳市红岭中路青少年活动中心科技楼105室) Tel: 8209-5858 | 