Visiting a Dragon in Singapore
On day three in Singapore, Sophie, Memrie, and I got an early start and met up with the television crew at TK Pottery Jungle. TK stands for Thow Kwang, or Pottery and Prosperity in English, and is home to one of the last dragon kilns in Singapore. This behemoth kiln measures 130-feet long, 16-feet wide and contains three main parts – a front firing chamber, the main chamber where ceramic pieces to be fired are placed, and a chimney at the tail end where smoke is emitted. When it is lit and glowing, the kiln resembles an irate fire-breathing dragon. Fired just twice a year, I was thrilled to have the honor of lighting the kiln during our visit.
Upon arrival, we were met by Yulianti Oey and her husband, Tan Teck Yoke, who is a second-generation potter in Singapore. His father was the founder of the TK industry and Tan Teck Yoke inherited the family business when his father passed away.  I hope you will enjoy this little tour of TK Pottery Jungle.
1 Here I am with Yulianti Oey as she explains to me how this magnificent dragon kiln works.
2 I was very honored because I was invited to light the enormous Dragon Kiln.
3 To fire up the 130-foot kiln, mounds of wood are required!
4 This behemoth kiln is fired only twice a year.
5 This dragon kiln was built in 1940 and it is capable of firing up to 5,000 individual pieces of ceramic works in one session!
6 Before each lighting of the kiln, a sacred Taoist prayer ceremony is held. This is an offering of roasted duck and pork and fresh fruit.
7 Yulianti Oey passes the religious offerings to her husband Tan Teck Yoke.
8 The offerings are placed on the kiln's alter, honoring the God of the Kiln.
9 Tan Teck Yoke adjusting the alter
10 More offerings for the ceremony
11 Mary Ann and Frankie always work hard to get interesting camera angles. The heat was oppressive that day and the kiln had not yet been lit!
12 Here I am preparing to light the kiln.
13 The flame comes from one sacred candle, used in the Taoist ceremony.
14 Igniting the wood
15 Then, Tan Teck Yoke lit some ceremonial incense.
16 After the initial lighting, the TK staff got busy loading more wood into the kiln.
17 Meanwhile, the crew was taping.
18 The fire quickly grew.
19 Soon after lighting, smoke began to seep through the expansion cracks of the kiln.
20 As the fire intensifies, the kiln actually begins to glow, causing its long shape to look just like a raging fire-blowing dragon.
21 Pots are loaded into the kiln through a number of entrances, which are seal off before the kiln is lit.
22 Here's a diagram of the dragon kiln.
23 A potter busy at work creating a rather large piece
24 This is very physical work as this potter's wheel is powered by leg strength.
25 A smaller electric wheel
26 And another
27 There is a pottery school at TK Pottery.
28 Glazes and tools of the trade
29 Here are some interesting pots made by the students.
30 Clay being readied for the wheel
31 Clay for other projects
32 A very beautiful abstract vase fired previously in the kiln
33 More pottery creations on display
34 The shop is located in an adjacent building.
35 A personal TK collection on display
36 This sign is warning visitors not to feed the many monkeys located around TK Pottery. They are wild and can be dangerous.
37 A view of the store - It is very large.
38 TK has collaborated with renowned pottery and porcelain-works in China and Taiwan to develop and transfer traditional and Chinese ceramic artistry to Singapore.
39 They also sell non-ceramic items, such as these carved marble dragons.
40 And these colorful stones
41 We liked how this giant wooden wheel was made into display shelving.
42 These are ornate ceremonial pieces.
43 Buddhas and such
44 A view of the shop taken from the second floor
45 Here I am with Yulianti Oey and Tan Teck Yoke.
46 Signing a book for Tan Teck Yoke and Yulianti's daughter and her friend
As a potter for thirty years, I find this post very interesting. About ten years ago I had the chance to have some of my pots fired in a similar kiln, here called an Anagama (the Japanese name). It took several days to fire it and several more to cool it down. Unloading it and examining the finished work was an exciting event also.
Do you know how many days it took this one to get up to its peak temperature? Going back for a look when its firing hot would be well worth it. The crews need to feed the fire around the clock for days. The firing is amazing to witness.
Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Clayvessel from Pie in the Sky | July 9th, 2010 at 12:42 am
It's amazing how much you packed into your trip! You have good researchers and people around you! You have made me want to go back and revisit Singapore and soon.
Posted by: Christian / @vfbr2001 | July 9th, 2010 at 3:43 am
Wow! This really brings back great memories of the time I lived in Singapore. The pottery jungle was one of my favorite places to shop. I still enjoy many of the pieces I purchased there. Thanks Martha for sharing your wonderful trip to Singapore.
Posted by: Gwoman | July 9th, 2010 at 5:20 am
Hi Martha,
The lighting of the dragon kiln was a very interesting ceremony and I guess it would be an honor to be asked to light it. If they light it only twice a year, it must take about 6 months to get 5,000 pieces of pottery ready for it. That really is amazing, all that hand-crafted pottery and then manually powering the wheels too. People are very ambitious in Singapore! I’m getting hot and tired just thinking about all that work! I hope you were able to bring some items home from the nice looking pottery store and thanks again for enlightening us! Trish
Posted by: Trish | July 9th, 2010 at 9:21 am
Wow - I never knew that making dragons involved a kiln and pottery making. This is very cool and I hope the dragons are never "obsolete". It seems like your target market would be limited and profit margins slim. What a wonderful tradition, though, to be sure.
Posted by: Susi | July 9th, 2010 at 10:23 am
I knew nothing of this. Delightful!
Posted by: jw | July 9th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Martha, all I can say is WOW!!!! I love your blog and your tv program and your magazines. Sometimes people make fun of me for being a perfectionist, yet when they need help with something I am the one they come to. You are my inspiration. I think we should always do our best, and that is what you do! Keep up the good work! Your fans love you!
Posted by: Dawn | July 9th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
wow i never thought a kiln located right in the middle of a city state!
Posted by: durio uno | July 9th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
it took about a day (cannot remember exactly how long in hours though) to reach 1200 degree celcius. and it went on to burn for another day or 2. and cooling took about 5 days.
not so many pieces are placed in the kiln now a days, and due to the low quantity, firing the kiln is not an event which we see often now a days. The previous one was in Aug 09, before this one which Martha went.
And with recent announcement from the government to make the compound a clean tech zone, it looks unlikely that the dragon will fire for much longer.
Oh, I am not the owner of TK, nor linked to them in anyway, just happen to be there when Martha was present, and thought of sharing more information and answering some questions posted here.
Posted by: Wee | July 12th, 2010 at 4:57 am
Hi Martha, I'm waiting for your 'Ask Martha' show on Sirius 112 and was checking your blog to see if my comment that I posted on 6/9 at 6:25PM was here and it isn't so I will try again now. I loved the Dragon in Singapore blog! I have never seen such a huge kiln and how nice that you were able to light it! The museum was great, too. Thanks for another great blog. Love, Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | July 12th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
It's so nice to see your photos and read about your experiences at the Dragon Kiln! It must have been a privilege to light the dragon on such a rare occasion. To clarify the previous post, it took approx. 15 hours to reach the target temperature, and the firing was finished after about 33 hours. Anyone can read more about this special event, and see many of the ceramic pieces that were fired this day: http://thowkwangclayartists.wordpress.com/
Posted by: JW | July 19th, 2010 at 11:08 pm