Explainer | Why China Li ethnic group’s 6,000-year pottery tradition passed down exclusively to women

China’s Li ethnic group is known for a pottery-making tradition that is historically passed down exclusively to women.

The Li people are one of China’s 56 official ethnic groups. They are also the largest indigenous ethnic minority on the southern Chinese island of Hainan.

Around 90 per cent of its 1.4 million national population lives on the island.

The group had a matriarchal tradition until the mid-20th century, which was reflected in the group’s unique pottery-making customs that lasted for 6,000 years.

Their technique sticks to a primitive method of hand-making and firing pottery in bonfires.

This contrasts with the modern method, which utilises a wheel and fires the pottery in a sealed kiln.

One of their famous techniques is coiling, the rolling out of a coil of clay to form a pot.