Jingdezhen and Shiwan/Foshan

Martie’s mainland China fieldwork centered on two major ceramic regions. In Jingdezhen, she investigated Feng Huo Hsien and the Blessed Potters’ Temple, connecting literary accounts, oral histories, temple practices, and theatrical observances with the ceramic culture of the “porcelain capital.”

In Shiwan/Foshan, she documented pottery-master traditions, Taoshi Zumiao, the Nanfeng Ancient Kiln, and regional kiln deities. Together, the two sites reveal that Chinese kiln-god traditions are locally specific: deities, legends, ritual forms, and temple relationships develop in close connection with particular ceramic communities and production histories.