Busts of leaders a hit in China's porcelain capital

Busts of leaders a hit in China's porcelain capital

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Chinese ceramic artist Feng Chengren works alongside the country's top leaders in his shop in eastern China. Their smooth faces, lightly tanned by the soil of nearby riverbanks, smile benignly at lines of customers.

Feng's workshop is one of the few in Jingdezhen - China's porcelain capital - that does not specialise in the signature blue-and-white patterned ware that the city is known for.

Instead, Feng creates leaders.

. Jingdezhen, China. Reuters/Jason Lee
Feng works on a bust portraying late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong outside his studio.

"I make statues of whoever is in power. I've done Mao, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin," he said.

Business has been brisk this year as China prepares to celebrate in October the 70th anniversary of its founding as the People's Republic of China.

Outside Feng's studio, there are few busts of Xi Jinping - China's most powerful leader in decades.

. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee
A man in replica uniform of Eighth Route Army holds a red flag as he stands amid trees during "The Defense of Yanan" show.

Xi has removed term limits on the presidency, taken command of the military, and put his ideology into the charter of the Communist Party - while still in office.

Xi features more prominently in headlines in the official People's Daily newspaper than other top members of the political elite compared with past leaders like Jiang Zemin, said Xiao Qiang, the founder of China Digital Times, a U.S.-based news site covering China.

"By and large he has an image that no one else can match in the Chinese official media," Xiao said.

. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee
A performer dressed as a Kuomintang (KMT) soldier holds a replica weapon before taking part in "The Defense of Yanan" performance.

Still, the government has actively sought to ban adoring songs and the use of "Uncle Xi" in state media. A Jingdezhen shop owner surnamed Jiang who sells commemorative plates featuring Xi says they cannot be found on Taobao.com, China's biggest e-commerce platform.

. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee
Costumes and replica weapons are stored backstage before a performance of the stage show "Yanan Nursery".

The party has to tread a fine line in promoting its top leader, "without encouraging the perception of cultishness or allowing excessive commodification of his image," said David Bandurski, a co-director of the China Media Project, a research, fellowship and exchange program focusing on Chinese media at Hong Kong University.

Chinese leaders banned a cult of personality in the Party's Constitution after the death of Mao Zedong, who founded the People's Republic of China. Mao's power was such that he cultivated a youth army whose violence plunged China into a decade-long turmoil known as the Cultural Revolution.

. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee
A girl poses for a photo as child performers wait backstage before a performance of the stage show "Yanan Nursery".

Veneration for the party and its ideals are, however, fully endorsed.

One officially sanctioned way of showing patriotism is visiting sites of historical importance in the Party's Long March in the 1930's.

China's "red tourism" industry has grown rapidly since the government started funding the venture in 2005.

. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee
Performers dressed as Kuomintang (KMT) soldiers interact before taking part in "The Defense of Yanan" performance.

People flock from across the country to the city of Yanan, Shaanxi province, mythologised in party history, where they dress up in historical costumes and watch battle reenactments.

The city saw 50.59 million tourists in 2017, an increase of 26 percent from the year before, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.

. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee
People hold banners for group photos in front of a statue of late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong outside Yanan Revolutionary Memorial Museum.

Off the red tourism trail, Xi's images still find their way into the homes and offices.

Most of Feng's customers order Xi busts as "high-quality gifts," he said, often their bosses, many of whom are Party members.

Smaller 50-cm tall busts of Xi sell for 260 yuan ($37.86). A 1.5-metre statue can go for 1,600 yuan.

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Slideshow

Men dressed in replica uniforms of Eighth Route Army take a cigarette break outside Yanan Revolutionary Memorial Hall.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

Men dressed in replica uniforms of Eighth Route Army take a cigarette break outside Yanan Revolutionary Memorial Hall.

Performers take part in "The Defense of Yanan" show, a re-enactment of a famous battle performed daily for visitors.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

Performers take part in "The Defense of Yanan" show, a re-enactment of a famous battle performed daily for visitors.

Tourists are seen next to a statue of late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong outside Yanan Revolutionary Memorial Museum.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

Tourists are seen next to a statue of late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong outside Yanan Revolutionary Memorial Museum.

A woman wearing replica uniform of Eighth Route Army walks past a party member taking part in an oath-taking rally outside Yanan Revolutionary Memorial Hall.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

A woman wearing replica uniform of Eighth Route Army walks past a party member taking part in an oath-taking rally outside Yanan Revolutionary Memorial Hall.

Party members hold the Constitution of the Communist Party of China as they pose for a video outside the Yanan Revolutionary Memorial Hall.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

Party members hold the Constitution of the Communist Party of China as they pose for a video outside the Yanan Revolutionary Memorial Hall.

Children dressed in replica uniforms of Red Army are seen at a revolutionary site.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

Children dressed in replica uniforms of Red Army are seen at a revolutionary site.

Performers dressed as a Kuomintang (KMT) soldiers get ready before taking part in "The Defense of Yanan" performance, a re-enactment of a famous battle performed daily for visitors.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

Performers dressed as a Kuomintang (KMT) soldiers get ready before taking part in "The Defense of Yanan" performance, a re-enactment of a famous battle performed daily for visitors.

A bus carrying tourists in Yanan.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

A bus carrying tourists in Yanan.

People attend a political education tour at Wangjiaping former revolutionary site.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

People attend a political education tour at Wangjiaping former revolutionary site.

A staff member cleans a table next to portraits of late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong and Chinese marshals at a revolutionary-themed restaurant.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

A staff member cleans a table next to portraits of late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong and Chinese marshals at a revolutionary-themed restaurant.

Portraits of late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong and military leader Zhu De are displayed at a revolutionary site.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

Portraits of late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong and military leader Zhu De are displayed at a revolutionary site.

A porcelain plate featuring the portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen at a ceramics market.
. Jingdezhen, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

A porcelain plate featuring the portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen at a ceramics market.

Artworks and souvenirs depicting late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong and Chinese President Xi Jinping are displayed in a store.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

Artworks and souvenirs depicting late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong and Chinese President Xi Jinping are displayed in a store.

A family photo of late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong with his wife Jiang Qing and their daughter Li Ne hangs on the wall at the cave house where they lived.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

A family photo of late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong with his wife Jiang Qing and their daughter Li Ne hangs on the wall at the cave house where they lived.

An employee works on a statue portraying late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong.
. Jingdezhen, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

An employee works on a statue portraying late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong.

A bust portraying Chinese President Xi Jinping is placed between busts portraying late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong and late premier Zhou Enlai.
. Jingdezhen, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

A bust portraying Chinese President Xi Jinping is placed between busts portraying late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong and late premier Zhou Enlai.

Vendors prepare local snacks at a night market in downtown Yanan.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

Vendors prepare local snacks at a night market in downtown Yanan.

A revolutionary monument stands in a city square.
. Yanan, China. Reuters/Jason Lee

A revolutionary monument stands in a city square.