Visiting the Yingge ceramics industry, New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih experiences the kick wheel

New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih visited the Yingge ceramics industry yesterday (the 18th), and went to the Ceramics Museum to present the grand prize of the "2019 Summer Mud Art Season - Clay Sculpture Competition." He also took "Taiwan's national foot" Teacher Zhan Guoxiang as his mentor to experience the traditional kick wheel; he then visited Tai Hua Kiln and Shin Wang Ji Ci to exchange ideas with local ceramic artists, hoping that Yingge ceramics can connect with the international community and shine.

In the 2019 Summer Mud Art Season - Clay Sculpture Competition, the team "Is the mud okay? I'm very okay" took the championship. New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih personally presented the first prize and praised the work for using the octopus's eight legs to embody the spirit of a sustainable environment, saying it was very worth learning from. Seeing adults and children enjoying themselves so much at the Ceramics Museum made him very happy, and in the future the Mud Art Season should not only be held often, but held on a larger scale; on the spot he even directly announced that the 2019 Summer Mud Art Season would be extended to October 31, giving more citizens the chance to experience the fun of playing with mud.

Afterward, Mayor Hou Yu-ih came to the ceramics demonstration area and took "Taiwan's national foot" Teacher Zhan Guoxiang as his mentor, rolling up his pant legs to experience the traditional skill of the kick wheel. Kicking the wheel not only requires strength, but more importantly technique. Under the teacher's guidance, Mayor Hou completed his first wheel-thrown piece. With a clever turn of Teacher Zhan's hands, the ceramic vessel was transformed into a fish, and blowing mouth-to-mouth made the fish inflate and grow bigger, drawing constant exclamations and applause from the scene.

In the future, the development of the Yingge ceramics industry will proceed on both the industrial and talent fronts, so that the industry can develop sustainably, and local talent will be actively cultivated to keep improving. In addition, for the Yingge Ceramics Carnival, surrounding traffic will be improved, a people-oriented friendly environment will be shaped, and distinctive features will be created to attract more crowds to visit Yingge Old Street, going all out to let Yingge ceramics shine internationally.