An old man stands among the pottery in Shangcheng county, Henan province, Sept 10, 2014. [Photo by Xiang Mingchao/Asianewsphoto]

Chinese people began making pottery thousands of years ago. People fire the clay, mixed with other materials, at temperatures as high as 700 C to make pottery and over 1,200 C to make porcelain.

Henan province is well-known for ceramics. The famous Tang Tricolor Pottery was unearthed in the province. But now, this traditional craft is declining. For example, in Shangcheng county, only aged people are working in the industry and few young people have taken to it.