The clay ore reserves are nearly exhausted. Red clay from Huanglong Mountain, Yudong, Chuanbu, and other locations are the main ore sources for modern zisha pottery. ## Traditional Mining vs. Modern Methods Traditional mine shaft extraction | Modern mechanical open-pit operations ## Traditional Clay Processing and Preparation In the traditional processing and preparation of zisha clay, "pottery-making families would each dig a square plot of land outside their door, taking clay of various colors, crushing and sifting it according to their methods, mixing it together—this was called 'nurturing the clay.'"[1] Craftsmen would take the ore material that had been spread out to weather and dry, crush it, grind and sift it, soak it in water, then place the blended and kneaded clay in a cellar or ceramic jar in a cool, damp place to ferment and age. After a period of decomposition, the zisha clay would become "mature clay" suitable for making zisha ware. In the traditional processing and preparation of zisha clay, individual household workshops would manually refine the clay material, with "each having their own secret methods for extraction and blending." *Zisha ore material spread out to weather and dry* ## Modern Developments With the advancement of mechanization and the development of social division of labor, some changes have occurred in the clay refining technology, gradually forming a specialized supporting industry (mining, crushing, clay refining, firing). For example: 1. **Mechanical crushing.** In 1958, the processing of zisha clay introduced electric stone wheel crushers for pulverization. --- [1] (Ming Dynasty) Zhou Gaoqi, *Yangxian Minghu Xi*, contained in Han Qilou (ed.), *Modern Translation of Ancient Zisha Texts*, Beijing: Beijing Publishing House, January 2011 edition, p. 7.