KASHGAR, China, March 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nestled on the western edge of the Taklamakan Desert, Jiashi County – long renowned nationwide for its sweet Hami melons – is now carving out a new identity as a thriving hub for purple sand ceramics, powered by robust and reliable electricity services from State Grid Kashgar Power Supply Company. On March 8, technical teams from the power supplier conducted on-site inspections of electric kiln temperature control systems and workshop circuit safety at Jiashi Purple Sand Ceramics Co., Ltd., ensuring uninterrupted operations amid the bustling production at the Jiashi Purple Sand Industrial Park.

In the park's exhibition hall, exquisitely crafted purple sand teapots line the shelves, adorned with intricate patterns depicting the Twelve Muqam, a treasured Uyghur musical and dance heritage. The gleaming pieces tell a remarkable story of industrial transformation, turning a hidden geological treasure into a driving force for local economic development and cultural revitalization.

A Hidden Geological Treasure Uncovered

For generations, local residents focused solely on melon cultivation, unaware that beneath the fertile oasis lay a 400-million-year-old natural bounty. In Wolituogelake Town, rolling colorful mountains boast striking hues of ochre, slate gray and deep black, harboring a massive high-quality purple sand deposit discovered through geological exploration in 2018. With proven reserves exceeding 2.5 million tons, the deposit features a silicon dioxide content of 60.3% and ferric oxide content of 7.06%, with core indicators nearly identical to premium purple sand from Yixing, China's famed "Ceramic Capital." The ore boasts exceptional plasticity, stable sintering coloration, and trace element precipitation that endows teaware with unique health-enhancing properties.

"We only ever thought about growing melons in the fields; we never knew the colorful mountains held clay that could become 'gold nuggets'," said Muzapeer Muhtar, an employee at Jiashi Purple Sand Ceramics Co., Ltd., reflecting on the county's unexpected industrial shift.

Cross-Regional Collaboration Bridges Industry Expertise

To unlock the full potential of this precious resource, Jiashi County turned to Yixing, 4,600 kilometers away, for industry expertise, launching a landmark cross-regional industrial cooperation initiative in 2023. More than 50 master purple sand craftsmen from Yixing traveled west to share their skills, with national-level arts and crafts masters Zhang Baoyu and his wife relocating permanently to Jiashi to provide hands-on training. From ore identification and mud ratio formulation to teapot design and firing techniques, Yixing's time-honored craftsmanship and industrial standards have taken root on the Gobi Desert, laying a solid foundation for high-quality purple sand production.

Reliable Electricity: The Cornerstone of Industrial Takeoff

While rich resources and skilled craftsmen paved the way, reliable power infrastructure emerged as the critical first hurdle for large-scale industrial development. In 2022, as Jiashi's purple sand industry entered a pivotal stage of scaled-up growth, State Grid Kashgar Power Supply Company stepped forward with proactive, targeted services to address the area's weak power grid and insufficient capacity to support clustered electric kilns.

The company swiftly launched grid upgrade projects, constructing and renovating 18.14 kilometers of power lines, including 7.02 kilometers of 10kV double-circuit overhead lines and 14.15 kilometers of dedicated single-circuit lines tailored for the industrial park. That winter, the first surge of electricity flowed through the new lines, lighting up the park's electric kilns and marking the official launch of large-scale production.

"The power supply arrived even faster than we expected," Muzapeer recalled. "State Grid Kashgar Power Supply Company followed up throughout the planning and construction process, opened a green channel for power application, and accelerated the installation of a 630kVA transformer, ensuring the park started operations on schedule."

Beyond grid construction, the power supplier delivers customized full-chain services aligned with purple sand production processes, conducting precise surveys of electricity demand for every stage – from mud mixing and teapot shaping to electric kiln firing and polishing. Party member service teams visit the park monthly to help enterprises optimize power usage plans, explain peak-valley time-of-use electricity pricing policies, and effectively reduce production costs and improve efficiency.

Empowering Local Employment and Industrial Integration

The thriving purple sand industry is also driving talent cultivation and inclusive growth. State Grid Kashgar Power Supply Company has supported the launch of collaborative ceramic art programs between local technical schools, Kashgar University and the industrial park, establishing two ceramic art classes that enrolled over 100 students. Eighteen students have already entered on-the-job internships and will be formally employed upon graduation, creating stable career paths for local youth.

Sixteen-year-old Abduwali Aisha, a technical school student, now crafts purple sand teapots independently. "Masters used to say traditional wood-fired kilns relied entirely on experience – a slight temperature mistake would ruin an entire kiln of teapots," he explained. "With intelligent temperature-controlled electric kilns, our finished product rate has jumped from less than 60% to over 90%." His first handmade teapot is prominently displayed in the exhibition hall, alongside a photo of him and Master Zhang Baoyu inspecting the work – a vivid symbol of east-west industrial collaboration.

Stable power supply has not only rooted the purple sand industry in Jiashi but also fostered an integrated "industry-education-research-cultural tourism" ecosystem. The park has pioneered a "master studio + farmer" model, where masters lead core craftsmanship research and high-end product development, while standardized component production is outsourced to trained local households, enabling villagers to earn a skilled income close to home. A complete industrial chain has taken shape, spanning ore mining, teapot production, e-commerce sales and cultural tourism experiences.

"Yixing has five-color clay, and Jiashi has colorful sand – this is not just a resource echo, but a cultural connection," noted Shi Juntang, President of Yixing Ceramic Industry Association, during a field inspection.

Today, Jiashi purple sand boasts more than 200 product varieties, has been selected as a "Xinjiang Gift" and is widely sold to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It even earned the "Bay Area Recommended Brand" certification at the Shenzhen Tea Expo, putting this once agriculture-focused county on the global map through its exquisite ceramic craftsmanship.