[March 09, 2006]

Two Chinese who brought vases to Baguio

(Philippine Daily Inquirer Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)BAGUIO CITYTHE COUNTRYS summer destination celebrated the 11th Panagbenga or Baguio Flower Festival but what are flowers without beautiful vases, pots and jars to hold them?

Even if roses, stargazers or daisies have withered and died, the vessels that hold them could span a dynastyif the Chinese were to believeespecially if these are made of porcelain from the ancient city of Jingdezhen in China, the ceramic capital of the world.

Some enterprising young Chinese had this in mind when they hauled more than 200 pieces of porcelain vases, pots and jars from their backyard in Jingdezhen City and brought them to Baguio to see if Filipinos here would appreciate their products.

They set up shop at the Cooyesan Plaza on Naguilian Road. The vases are priced between P50 and P120,000.

Touch it, tap it, lightly beat and it sounds like a bell. These are made of hardworking hands from our province that is famous in pottery and ceramic industry, said Wan Jun, 33, through an interpreter.

Wan and his partner, Xie Dao, 23, say they both grew up in Jingdezhen where their ancestors began to produce ceramics as early as 1,800 years ago in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

They both cannot speak and understand English so they hired Myrna Bayeng, a Baguio resident who speaks fluent Mandarin to talk to the customers.

Bayeng, who worked in Taiwan for 10 years, says Jingdezhen is synonymous to Chinese porcelain.

Aware that pirated products made in China are rampant everywhere, Wan and Xie proudly displayed the certificates issued by the Chinese government to prove that the designs were made by legitimate artists from Jingdezhen.

The most prized collectors item is a set of jars painted by a Chinese ceramic artist Li Bo Feng. Each jar costs between P45,000 and P60,000.

You will have an idea of our Chinese history and culture through our products, Wan said.

Xie said they have vases with an inscription of a poem about Chinas ancient queen.

The cheapest vase and porcelain mugs cost P50 while a set of chopsticks in various hues of red, white and blue sells for P1,000.

Wan said small jars are the most sought items among Benguets wine makers and producers. Benguet produces strawberry and rice wine (tapuey) and some wine makers use porcelain jars and earthen jars from the Ilocos for their products.

Buddhists, according to Bayeng, visit their shop and appreciate lampshades (the most expensive of which sells for P15,700) where the images of Buddha are engraved.

Wan and Xie assured they have other items that have no religious symbols such as embroidered flowers. There is also a frame with a tiger design but the fur used came from different animals.

Wan and Xie claim they were selling all their products half the original price because they wanted to return to China soon.

We miss our families in China already. But we dont want to bring home these heavy stuff with us because we can no longer afford to pay taxes at the Bureau of Customs, Wan said.

They have been doing business in the city for almost six months now.

Offering a 50 percent discount is a gift we can give to Filipinos who are the friendliest people we have met in Asia. They like our products and theyre very appreciative of us although we cant speak English, they said.

Asked how they described their relationship with Filipinos, Wan summed it up in one Filipino word he knows: Maganda (Beautiful).

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