A pottery maker's journey from poverty to well-off life

Mu Xiangang (Right) sells a small cat-shaped ware to a customer at 10 yuan on Thursday at Huamao village of Fengxiang township in Zunyi county, Southwest China's Guizhou province. [Photo by Yang Jie/chinadaily.com.cn]

Mu's business has been on the up after the visit by President. His business revenue in 2015 reached more than 200,000 yuan, more than four times of that in the previous year.

To further expand the business, Mu started an online pottery shop in October, but the online revenue so far only amounts to several thousand yuan because the fee of the express delivery is too high.

Mu also started a pottery-making experience shop, through which people can try making pottery wares by themselves with the help of professional pottery makers. The shop is well received with tourists and the 200-square-meter area was packed with people during the peak season.

"I would like to ask my child to try pottery making," said Ran Ajian, a tourist from nearby Guiyang city, "because I think children making pottery ware is not only about making something with their own hands but also learning the culture. This is good."

Inspired by Xi's visit, Mu is thinking about opening more chain-stores in other tourist destinations to provide jobs to people still in poverty and help them make a better life and also popularize pottery-making culture by letting more people learn the craftsmanship.

By the end of 2015, China still had 70.17 million people in the countryside living below its poverty line of 2,300 yuan ($376) in annual income by 2010 price standards.

"My wish for my eight-year-old son is that he can further carry forward the pottery-making craftsmanship after he graduates from college," said Mu, "education is important because people with knowledge have more chances of making a difference."