May 4, 2026
Arrived safely in Longquan, Zhejian province, southern China. Pretty much smooth sailing. I am in the mountains. Thank GOD for AI translation apps, this is my new way of communication! I have yet to put the app through my earbuds, but then it really will be Gene Roddenberry's vision come true (Trekky reference).
Bernard from Perth who took me under his wing to show me around.
People are arriving on their own time, some arrived a couple of weeks before me and two more are still coming from India. We will be about 16 artists in the residencies from Australia and New Zealand to India, Belarus, Serbia, UK, China, Canada (me!), Brazil and Argentina.
The day after I arrived, a delegation of 40 ceramics artists from Jingdezhen came for a three-day tour of the area. A few of us tagged along for a full day of sightseeing: Boaxi, up the hairpin winding mountain road to see a dragon kiln, a surprisingly contemporary eco-enivronmentally sustainable bamboo village, across the river from an ancient village where I bought my first celadon mug with a hibiscus carving that reminds me of "home." Clearly, my father kept hibiscus in Fredericton because they reminded him of his Caribbean home. Then we did the tourist thing and walked across a ravine on a glass bridge—a fun, lovely old cobblestone village where elderly people live a quiet life nearby and we were spontaneously invited to a traditional tea ceremony by a gourd maker.
It's the Spring Fair these past few days. (May 1 - workers unite!). Holidays for staff and schoolchildren, featuring many festivities and song and dance in the park. A young woman who is here for 2 years from Pakistan with her family befriended us and invited us for dinner - I think she was starved for Western conversation. Fascinating to get an ex-pat's insider political and social take.
We loaded a bisque kiln collectively and the first wood firing took place, a little challenging, running nearly 50 hours, requiring constant care and stoking. A small staff of very young, earnest and keen Chinese arts administrators is generally on site to assist as needed. There is a resident Glaze Master and Kiln Master. For me - there is so much to learn about gas firing, celedon glazing and firing.
I just received my first set of molds for the very basic "wave" I'm making to create an ocean field wall sculpture. There are over ten types of clay and even more types of celadons, from crackle to smooth, and I am like a kid in a candy shop wanting to try them all! I already have ideas influenced by what I've seen - thinking about making an inverted pagoda using the voice pattern of the words "Lost in Translation" which reflects how I often feel. I did get lost, but again, I'm feeling strong and finding resources within.
I had to move studios due to a plumbing issue, and resettled yesterday into what I can only describe as my "dream studio’ with 20' floor to ceiling glass windows, a balcony overlooking a point and the mountains in the distance beyond the city. I'm sharing with Kay Aplin, a UK-based artist I met in Geneva in 2022. We are finding our way together; we are still identifying resources. Much of the time, which I value equally if not more than the studio time, is spent getting to know the other artists. We now have a ritual of heading out in groups of two, three, four or five for dinner off-campus. You can find and share a scrumptious meal for less than $10 each. I'm having no problem finding gluten-free noodles: 100% buckwheat, corn and rice. Tofu seems more prevalent than when I was last here. My tolerance for spice has increased, and I don't mind a meat broth.
The residency shares its buffet with an adjacent hotel that offers an remarkable breakfast spread. I find myself enjoying rice noodles, broth, pickled vegetables (many of which I haven't identified yet), fresh and cooked salads, congee, and spicy/savoury foods in the mornings. I have taken up imbibing a half glass of espresso in the mornings and finding it suits me. Life is good.
The residency has been going for three years, and is in the midst of a large cultural centre/park close to the river. Fewer than 300,000 people live in Longquan, and it already seems that we are running into the same people around town. The air is fresh, the trees and flowers are lush, but the temperature is erratic during the spring months. There is an unending set of small mom and pop shops for everything under the sun, an army of electric scooters, and about 90% of all cars are electric. In fact there are so few cars on the roads, most intersections don't bother to run the traffic lights. The place reminds me of my in-laws' neighbourhood in Delhi, but without the crowds and pollution.
I tried tai chi on the riverbank. When it's not raining, 30-40 locals gather to do warm-ups and a 20-minute form in the Yang style. Then someone coaches a beginners' lesson while seniors practice the sword form. It starts at 6:30am, and I think I'm going to opt to work on improving my Wu Style form myself - there's plenty of riverbank, and I relish my rest. Longquan is famous for its history of sword making - a centre for the country. Swords and celedon.
That's it from the new homefront. Glaze tests next week.
Heidi
