Yu Meng – Dai Pottery Maker in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna

Yu Meng（玉勐）, born in 1957, is a Dai pottery artisan from Mandou Village (曼斗村), Jinhong Subdistrict Office (景洪市街道办事处), Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture (西双版纳傣族自治州). As a national inheritor of China’s intangible cultural heritage for Dai slow-wheel pottery, she began learning the craft in childhood and started independent production in 1985. Her works include traditional Dai household items and Buddhist ceremonial objects, such as earthen pots, clay kettles, and water jars. These pieces, deeply rooted in ethnic traditions, are highly sought after by local communities.

Trained by her mother, Yu Xiangshuai (玉香甩), and mentored by veteran Dai potters Yan Pa (岩帕) and Bo Tao Xiangzhang (波涛香章), Yu Meng employs the ancient coiling technique with slow-wheel firing. Her process—from pounding and sifting clay to shaping, drying, and firing—relies entirely on manual skill and experience. Recognized internationally, she was invited to Japan’s World Ceramic Exposition, where her work earned widespread acclaim.

Beyond her craftsmanship, Yu Meng is dedicated to preserving this heritage. Since 1994, she has trained numerous apprentices and hosted free workshops for youth and enthusiasts. Her pieces are collected by the Chinese National Academy of Arts, and she holds honors like “Dai Artisan (傣乡工匠).” Her efforts have sustained Dai pottery’s legacy and fostered cultural exchange, notably between China and Japan.

International Acclaim for Yu Meng’s Pottery

High Praise in Japan

From July to September 1996, Yu Meng, alongside her daughter Yu Danhan (玉单罕) and apprentice Yu Layue (玉腊约), demonstrated slow-wheel pottery at the World Ceramic Exposition in Saga, Japan. Experts marveled at the traditional methods, intricate patterns, and rustic forms, particularly her “mantou kiln (馒头窑)” firing technique. This revelation helped Japanese scholars decode mysteries of their Yayoi period, earning accolades from archaeologists, historians, and artists. During the event, her team fired over 600 pieces across 20 kilns, elevating China’s ceramic reputation and strengthening Sino-Japanese cultural ties.

Hailed as “Ancient Yunnan’s Brilliance”

At the 1996 exposition, Yu Meng’s faithful revival of archaic techniques led experts to laud her work as “the pinnacle of ancient Yunnan’s ingenuity.”

A Key to Neolithic Pottery Mysteries

Since the late 1950s, global archaeologists have studied Dai pottery, identifying it as a living relic of China’s primitive ceramics. Regarded as “the key to unlocking Neolithic firing techniques,” it offers unparalleled insights into early pottery-making.

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