Cai Shi Fu · Kiln Fire Tender at the Decorative Brick Factory

Full transcript

《The Decorative Brick Factory: Interview with Master Cai》

Editorial note: Q = interviewer; Cai = Master Cai; Aside = bystander (Master Cai's second aunt, etc.). In editing, I've tried to keep the original wording and cut repetition and meaningless filler. Obvious transcription errors have been restored from context, e.g. “pesticide” = dragon kiln, “oil out/loading sheep” = unloading/loading the kiln, “slip drill/makeup/painting scroll” = decorative brick, “make medicine” = making kilns, etc.

Q: Let me note this down first—is it okay if I record and take photos?

Cai: Yeah, yeah, recording and photos are fine.

Q: What's your name?

Cai: Cai as in Jolin Tsai, Dao as in road, Shui as in mountains and water.

Q: Date of birth?

Cai: May 28, 1964.

Q: Are you from this town?

Cai: I'm from this town—Qinchi Town, Xingyuan Village, Xinyuan Taoyao Village. Chengshi Town, Xinyuan: xin as in Xinzhou, yuan as in New Year's Day. Xinyuan Taoyao Village, tao as in ceramics.

Q: How long have you been doing this?

Cai: Just here firing the kiln, this year makes five years. I've fired four full years. Five years firing here.

Q: What about other places?

Cai: Other places—wasn't that just working? I worked a few years here and there. I never fired kilns before. I only started firing when I came here. Locally, this is what we do—fire kilns.

Q: What did you do before?

Cai: Before, I was in Wuhu, Ma'anshan, Baimashan, Xinyang liquefied gas station, worked eight years. Not a formal job, just working. Five years ago I came here.

Q: How did you end up coming here?

Cai: We're locals. It's not that I knew it had opened and came. It opened in '19, started firing officially in '19, built the kiln in '18. They've been firing for seven years now. The first kiln was also fired by me. After that I didn't fire; I worked at the kiln factory up there. I worked at the tile factory up there for two years, then came back here. It's close to home. My wife's health isn't great, so being close is convenient for looking after her. I've just been firing here all along, never went anywhere else.

Q: You'd never fired before—how did you know how?

Cai: How would I not know? There are very few people around here who don't fire kilns. At our age, our grandparents fired kilns. Before, it wasn't this kind of kiln; it was bricks. We used to fire steel vats and clay pots. Around here, our ancestors did this. As for exactly when, it's recorded in the Jinxian gazetteer. At our age, locals basically all know how. The next generation can't do it. They don't fire kilns. Our generation is the last. Even people in their fifties are few.

Q: Why not let the next generation fire too?

Cai: The next generation—young people—firing this is too hard. How many of the next generation are willing? The pay is low and it's dirty. The next generation definitely won't do it.

Q: Besides you and your wife, who else is in the family now?

Cai: The kids are all married. My son and daughter are both married and not around us. At home it's just me and my wife. The children don't do this line. In our next generation, the number doing this is basically zero. In the whole town it's basically few—basically none. The craft is still there, but the next generation isn't. There's still one family in Xinyuan Village. The father is still there and has his son doing it, over in Simaqiao. Few people do it—maybe that's actually a good thing. But no, dragon kilns aren't allowed now.

Q: What's a dragon kiln?

Cai: You don't know dragon kilns? It's like a long dragon, firing from the bottom up, very long. You can see it on your phone. Dragon kilns aren't allowed to fire anymore—they can't meet environmental standards. They burn firewood and smoke. The old kiln site up there is still preserved. Ours isn't called a dragon kiln.

Q: What part are you responsible for?

Cai: Firing the kiln. We specifically fire. Firing means tending the fire—pull the damper, open the door, add firewood. There's a temperature gauge up there. There's also a master who watches the fire. We're responsible for adding wood.

Q: Is the fire-watcher hired from outside?

Cai: Fire-watching is a专门 person, hired from another province, from Jiangsu. We don't have anyone local yet. They work in 24-hour shifts so the fire doesn't go out. One kiln takes 27 or 28 days to fire. The fire-watcher doesn't need to stay here watching. Usually morning and evening—when it's light and when it's dark. During the day you can't see much; daytime fire-watching isn't accurate. Only when it's dark morning or evening can you see clearly. He only needs to come twice a day, not necessarily. Right after lighting, it's fine if he doesn't come for two or three days. At this stage now, he has to come every day—morning and evening.

Q: Does fire-watching mean looking at temperature?

Cai: It's looking at temperature. Too old won't do, too young won't do; too high won't do, too low won't do. If it's low, it comes out yellow. If it's high, it comes out overfired. This has a lot of technical skill. The pay is very high. He's hired from Jiangsu Province, salary around 100,000-plus a year. He comes once in the morning and once in the evening. Early and late stages, usually he comes every day or two. But he lives here. When there's nothing to do he's up there, sometimes comes by to hang out.

Q: What about your pay for firing?

Cai: We just fire and add wood. There's no real skill. Not much technical skill, but few people do it. The pay is low, young people don't want to do it—so they call us old people. They say eight hours, but it's split into two, six-hour shifts, three shifts rotating. You work six hours; each shift covers either the first half or second half of the night, or morning or afternoon. Three people rotate, six hours per rotation. When the time comes, you switch and the next shift takes over.

Q: What temperature is needed?

Cai: Specifically, usually around 870–880. There's another gauge top and bottom, always around 900, 950. This one is always around 870.

Q: What do you burn?

Cai: Furniture boards, offcuts from furniture factories. Waste repurposed.

Q: What do you think is the key to firing well?

Cai: It's hard to say exactly. One kiln is fired by three people. Adding more or less isn't fixed. Adding more doesn't necessarily mean more pay. Generally, at this stage, you add a furnace of wood within about 15 or 20 minutes. Those of us who fired dragon kilns can basically fire this kiln. At our age, very few haven't fired. From sixty up to seventy, in that middle range, very few can't fire. We locals can; outsiders can't.

Q: Does Siyiao Village next door also fire kilns?

Cai: Siyiao Village doesn't have this kind of kiln. This kiln only exists here. Siyiao fires the kind we used to.

Q: Are you tired after a day?

Cai: Of course I'm tired. Summer is definitely tiring, and hot. Most young people won't do it. It's mainly physical—backache, sore waist. At our age, doing this still burns some energy. We've only fired five or six years; haven't heard of occupational diseases. Burning wood isn't very polluting. People who can do it generally don't complain. Other seasons are okay; summer is the hard part. Summer lasts nearly four months. The temperature itself is 37–38°C; inside the kiln it's 70–80°C, outside at least 50°C. You go in, add some wood, come out drenched in sweat. Summer is the hardest. Winter is okay—winter is warm.

Q: Is this second aunt over seventy?

Aside: Seventy-one.

Q: She also works in Wuhu?

Aside: Huolonggang, 4,200–4,300 yuan.

Q: How much per shift for firing?

Cai: 105 yuan a shift. It's not based on how much you produce; fire six hours and it's 105. A month, usually you can work 40 shifts, 4,200–4,300 yuan. No young people do it. The longer you fire, the more you fire, there's no raise. Nothing. No social insurance. It's just laborer, temp-worker treatment. There's no slow or busy season. From after New Year, the first month, to the twelfth month—11 months. One month off for New Year. Three people, six hours: 5 to 11, 11 to 5. Four shifts, 24 hours. It burns a big fire all along; by our stage it's a small fire. The stuff inside slowly moves over from that side.

Q: Do you come in the afternoon to load the kiln?

Cai: Around 2 in the afternoon; a little after 12 they come. Fill this kiln up, get the holes below loaded, there's also a door up top. After loading, light the fire, put the stuff in. Come in the afternoon to load. You can film from above.

Q: How much is the wood?

Cai: Wood is about 500 yuan a ton. All offcuts from furniture factories. Seems like factories run by Zhejiang people over in Guangde; some is even shipped from Zhejiang. It's not all wood; some is like plywood—furniture board offcuts. Nothing wasted.

Q: Which process in the whole factory is the hardest?

Cai: The hardest are firing, loading, and unloading—just those three. Loading and unloading: you load it in, and after it's fired and cooled you pull it out. The raw bricks are ordered from outside. We don't make raw bricks locally; the local clay isn't good. The raw bricks are hauled over from Zhejiang. The finished products include decorative bricks—Boss Wang. He does the drawings himself; Boss Wang and them hire people to mix their own. Most people can't get this technique. Decorative bricks, they're not slippery—there's a factory above that makes decorative bricks. The decorative bricks are up there. Loading, unloading, firing—in terms of physical labor, unloading and loading are the hardest. They usually hire Guizhou people. The Guizhou people have been working here long-term, since the factory was built—six or seven years. They come at 12. Outsiders bring their families. Three families, six people, kids and all here; the kids go to school here. They go home for New Year, take the kids back during winter vacation, bring them back when school starts in the first month. Their pay is a bit higher, and it's hard work. At our age we can't keep up. They only work twenty-some days a month. The boss tells them the details; we can't figure it out. Anyway, their pay is definitely higher than ours.

Q: The most skilled part is fire-watching?

Cai: The firers just need to take the fire from small to big. If you don't rush it into a big fire, it won't spoil. Fire-watching—either it's overfired, underfired, too high, or too low. They even hired an outsider for this; outsiders are very good at watching. The people who used to fire bricks, golden bricks, were in Jiangsu and Zhejiang; the place of origin is Suzhou, Jiangsu. Golden bricks are the ones used in the old Forbidden City, the ones used on the Great Wall. They weren't fired in Beijing; they were fired over in Suzhou, Jiangsu. The bricks for the Great Wall had names on them—which family fired them. The big bricks here have names; small bricks don't, decorative bricks don't. We can't figure out what names are written on the big bricks. Anyway, they write the boss's name, write some factory or other, antique-style. In plain terms, it's faking it. Everyone does it now—antique style. The big ones are 80×80, one meter by one meter, several hundred jin per piece. Moving them is easier now—there are electric carts with batteries, push them forward, saves a lot of effort. Loading takes 3 days, unloading takes 3 days, 6 days. Once loaded, the kiln can't be empty. As soon as it's pulled out, it's loaded again. Then it's not their concern; everyone rests, can rest at home. Their pay is relatively okay; otherwise a family couldn't survive. They rent housing; the factory rents it for them.

Q: Do young people from Guizhou come too?

Cai: The three women are tougher than the men. Three families, three men and three women. Our local men can't outwork those women. Those women can take hardship and they're young. Over there, living conditions and environment are relatively more practical. They were in Guangde before. Jiangsu and Zhejiang wouldn't let them fire, so they went to Guangde. After a few years Guangde wouldn't let them fire either, so they moved here. This is very likely the last stop. If this place won't let them fire either—does this kind of kiln pollute? This kind is okay. In past years they wouldn't let you burn straw in the fields. Before, firing dragon kilns was fine; people burned plant ash everywhere. Now dragon kilns aren't allowed. Our family's dragon kiln—at the very least it could employ us locals. I'm from Jing County, working in Wuhu. When I was a kid, Jing County's air was better than now. You could burn anything, and the air was still better. Now there are more factories—not this kind of thing, probably chemical. How much pollution do we make? It's such a hassle now. Today environmental protection comes, tomorrow environmental protection comes, doing tests, doing this and that—annoying as hell. The boss is going crazy too. It rained the day before yesterday, and environmental protection still came to test. The boss doesn't have it easy either. They invite them to dinner. They want to do it, but now obviously they don't dare—you invite them to eat and they won't.

Q: What are the processes in this factory?

Cai: Besides loading, unloading, and firing, those are the three processes, plus one fire-watching master. Our whole factory is 14 people: 6 firers, 6 helping unload, one fire-watcher, and one No. 2 boss, basically the person in charge. The legal representative is Boss Wang. This factory belongs to Boss Wang, and Boss Wang transferred it down to a Guangde guy. The kilns on this side were brought in by the Guangde boss. That kiln over there is fired by my aunt; it was brought in by Wang Dong—different boss again. This factory's investment this year isn't flashy, but for a small-scale operation it's okay. One kiln has several hundred thousand in it. The land isn't his; it should have been bought. The original buildings were also built by Boss Wang. The outside buildings were all built by Boss Wang. Not finished yet. Business should be okay—fires all year, never rests. From lighting in the first month to the twelfth month, one month off a year, work 11 months.

Q: How long do you think you can keep working?

Cai: This requires good health. Like my aunt—she can still work two or three years, she's healthy; seventy-two, seventy-three, seventy-four should be fine. Overall, if it doesn't burn too much energy it's better. It's just summer heat, and staying up late. Staying up at night takes a toll. You rotate every day, changing shifts every day. Today you're on afternoon shift; tonight you rest 12 hours; tomorrow morning at 5 you have to come back and work until noon. Sometimes you sleep early, sometimes late—no routine. A lot of people can't adjust. It's not about money; they just can't adjust. No regularity. If you can lie down and fall asleep, that's good. Sometimes you work the first half of the night—like last night, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.—then you go home and sleep the second half. Tomorrow night is the big night shift. One afternoon shift followed by a big night shift, then the day after is morning shift, then the day after that big night shift. Morning shift ends at noon, go home and rest 12 hours. Mainly it's irregular. People who can't adjust can't get up at those times. Outside temperature is okay; turn on an electric fan and it's okay. The hardest is still unloading. You have to stay right by the fire, in the kiln tunnel, take the stuff off the conveyor. After the fire stops, after it's out, you still douse with water. After dousing there's still heat. After dousing, open the kiln door, blow with electric fans for 5 days, still heat. After stopping 5 days, unloading 3 days, it's been 8 or 9 days, and there's still hot air inside. They set up fans on top, a blower on the kiln roof blowing down. It's purely people carrying it out, putting it on the conveyor, then out, then onto electric carts.

Q: What do your children do?

Cai: The kids are all working. The grandkids are still in school. I have a little granddaughter, 13, 12, going into sixth grade in the second half of the year. Exams on the 30th. They're in Xuancheng—my son and daughter-in-law are in Xuancheng, they live there. If you don't sell the house, can't the kid study? Buy a little house in Xuancheng. They care about the kid's education. In our rural areas, which family doesn't? One kid—which family doesn't care? They care, but conditions are limited. Rural people talking fake stuff is useless. What can you do after school these days? The last two years jobs aren't easy to find; college students can't find them easily. Overall it's not good. You're a teacher, you know better than us. Before, jobs were easy to find; now they're not so easy. One family, one kid—what can they do? Especially a little girl like ours—what can she do? I want her, whatever else, whether working or whatever, to have it a bit easier, not burn too much energy, not do heavy physical work. Best to get a stable job. But then again, that's not up to us. Kids need talent for studying too. If she gets into Anhui Normal University, then being a teacher is still okay. Getting into Anhui Normal is possible; you need about 570–580 on the liberal arts college entrance exam. We work in Wuhu, often go to the gate of Anhui Normal. Before the pandemic you could go in; during the pandemic they wouldn't let you. I went in '08, came back in '15, stayed there 8 years. Eight years in Xuzhou. After work at night there's nothing to do. Working at the liquefied gas station was easy. Off at 5 p.m., after dinner go play by the river.

Q: I've taken up your time. Let me pay you a little something.

Cai: Nonsense. It's your home—no, no such thing. Pay 50 yuan? No, no.

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