Tangdui village: watch Nixi black pottery being shaped by hand
Tangdui village, Nixi township, Shangri-La
Nearly every household in Tangdui makes Nixi black pottery, a craft on China's national intangible heritage list since 2008. Potters pat each piece into shape by hand on a turning wooden board, using fine red clay washed down from the hills, then fire it in the open until it comes out a deep, glossy black. Family workshops let visitors watch and try it themselves, and the village sits just off the G214, roughly 38 km past Songzanlin where the road to Weixi turns left.
What locals sayMore than 3,000 visitors a year now come to try making a piece, and buyers find the big pieces are made to order rather than waiting on shelves.
- Time
- 1–2 hours · morning, on the drive north
- In Chinese
- 尼西乡 汤堆村 黑陶
Nixi earthen-pot chicken, stewed in the black pottery made up the road
Tuguo ji is a local chicken simmered into soup in a squat, round pot of Nixi black pottery, the unglazed ware made in Tangdui village north of town. Locals credit the black clay with giving food a plain, natural flavor, and the dish featured in the documentary A Bite of China. Roadside restaurants around the Nixi crossroads specialize in it, so it makes an easy lunch on the drive north.
Good to know Ask the size of the pot and the price before you order, and bring someone to share it with.
Time: 1–1.5 hours · lunch on the drive north
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Based on what locals and regular visitors share, checked against current sources · Updated September 2026. Details change — check opening times locally.
