Jiaodong sand bowl [Photo/Xianjingyantai.com]

The Jiaodong sand bowl is also called the Delu, or virtue-and-fortune bowl. It got this name in AD 644, when Emperor Taizong stopped at Wengli Kiln in Qixia, where he dined using this kind of bowl. He was so pleased that he bestowed such a name on it.

The sand bowl is made from a special reddish mud with golden sand that can only be found in Qixia. Its color is an unglazed blackish or tangerine red. The sandy touch ofits surface gives it the name “sand” bowl.

The bowl is very popular in Jiaodong Peninsula. Food cooked in it tastes better than in common porcelain bowls. People use this bowl when eating dried salty fish, a beloved local cuisine.