Yan Handian – Inheritor of Slow-wheel Pottery Making Skills of Dai Ethnic Minority in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna

Yahan Dian was born into a family with a long-standing tradition of Dai pottery craftsmanship. From a young age, he learned the traditional Dai pottery-making skills from his father. His family had been exclusively crafting pottery for the Dai royal palace for four generations. Building on the family legacy, Yahan Dian continuously innovated and developed the craft. The pottery he created includes not only daily utensils but also architectural decorations for Buddhist temples.

Yahan Dian has fully mastered the Dai slow-wheel pottery-making techniques, which encompass processes such as pounding soil, sieving soil, mixing sand, adding water, setting up the wheel, shaping the clay, smoothing the surface, drying, and firing the pottery.

Based on traditional techniques, he has introduced modern processes like mechanical wheels, dragon kilns, gas kilns, glazes, and openwork designs. These innovations have made Dai pottery more exquisite and visually appealing.

His works are inspired by folk legends and religious themes, featuring exaggerated yet lively images such as qilins, elephants, peacocks, and phoenixes. These pieces are highly favored by the local Dai community and used in temple architecture.

Yahan Dian passed on his skills to his daughter, Yu Zhangfeng (玉章凤), who has also become a representative inheritor of the Dai slow-wheel pottery-making technique at the prefecture level.

In 2012, Yahan Dian and his daughter Yu Zhangfeng registered the “Jinghong City ‘Bogong Sawan’ Handicraft Workshop” (景洪市‘博宫沙湾’手工作坊). Specializing in making pottery and Buddhist architectural decorations, their products are sold both domestically and internationally and are well-received by the market.

Yahan Dian has not only achieved personal success but also provided employment opportunities for local Dai villagers through his workshop. He selflessly shares his traditional skills with others.

Yahan Dian has been recognized as a provincial-level representative inheritor of the Dai slow-wheel pottery-making technique.

In 1999, he was awarded the title of “Yunnan Province Folk and National Artist” by the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture. In 2016, he received the honor of being one of the “Top Ten Most Influential Elderly Craftsmen in Yunnan Province.”

Through his dedication and hard work, Yahan Dian has not only preserved and passed down the traditional Dai slow-wheel pottery-making skills but also revitalized this ancient craft in modern society.