Wu Tiecheng works on a piece of pottery in Ganquan village, Xin'an county, Luoyang city, Henan province, Sept 21, 2016. [Photo/IC]

During the 1940s and 1950s, porcelain making thrived and many businessmen had to wait to buy the newly made porcelain. Local villagers who earned much making ceramics said their annual income was no less than today.

In recent years, mechanization of the ceramics industry and the introduction of modern and foreign culture mean that people are no longer interested in handmade ceramics created the old way. Young people are not willing to learn old ceramic making technique, which is arduous and makes little money.

Wu Tiecheng, nearly 70 years old, is the only villager who sticks to the old technique today. The whole village has only seven older people who can make decent pottery.