Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, is a thousand-year-old porcelain capital and also a contemporary art capital of China. Tea gardens, art, ancient villages, and even Huizhou culture can all be experienced in one trip. Here, you can feel both the weight of history and the warmth of everyday life.
The unique charm of Jingdezhen lies in the way the old and the new coexist. Sometimes it even feels slightly fragmented: the kiln fires and cooking smoke of the old town live alongside the artistic energy of Taoxichuan; industrial relics collide with creative markets. This diverse character makes Jingdezhen a place worth exploring deeply.
And so, we began our journey to Jingdezhen, Jiangxi. This time, I would like to recommend a few must-visit places — places where you can truly slow down, explore in depth, and quietly experience the beauty of porcelain.
Jay Chou’s song Blue and White Porcelain is about Chinese porcelain:
“The plain clay is outlined in blue and white,
the brushstrokes shifting from deep to light.
The peony painted on the vase
is just like your first makeup…”
Here, the markets are lively and full of young people. Many of them are designers. People gather together to chat, exchange ideas, and browse beautiful objects. Buying something becomes a very natural part of the experience. If you have time, you should definitely stop and take a pottery-throwing class, and learn how to make a complete piece of porcelain by hand.
Taoxichuan is an artistic district transformed from an old porcelain factory. With its red-brick kiln buildings and a striking industrial chimney, it has a strong visual identity. During holidays and weekends, you can usually find creative markets here, full of stylish and well-designed pieces.
Taoxichuan is especially photogenic at dusk. The red-brick factory buildings are covered in golden light, while the chimney and neon signs overlap in the background. Even a casual photo can look like a scene from a movie. There are also many niche ceramic studios here. The shop owners are usually happy to chat, and you can find handmade designer pieces that are not mass-produced.
At Taoxichuan, we met a designer who had brought back butterfly artworks from Africa. These works are made from the wings of butterflies that died naturally. In this way, life is given a second form and preserved again, which feels very meaningful.
We also came across a special book called Notes on Teapot Making. It records the process of making a teapot, and it was quite fascinating.
So in Taoxichuan, just allow yourself to wander and discover whatever interests you. The people here are all quite special. I really enjoy talking with people who have their own inner worlds. You will realize that the world itself is made up of many, many small worlds.
From Taoxichuan, you can ride west directly to Sanbao Village by bike. Today, Sanbao Village may have changed in some ways.
Sanbao Village is one of the most artistic villages in Jingdezhen. Hidden among mountains and water, it has preserved the quietness and natural rhythm of the countryside, while also attracting many ceramic artists, designers, and craftspeople. You can stroll along the village roads, visit ceramic studios, explore small exhibitions, have a cup of coffee, or step into a shop and talk with the owner about their works.
The most charming thing about Sanbao Village is the way it combines the craftsmanship of the porcelain capital with the everyday life of a mountain village. During the day, you can look at ceramics and visit studios. At dusk, you can watch the light slowly fade in the valley.
It is not as lively as Taoxichuan, nor as historically heavy as the Ancient Kiln. Instead, it shows another side of Jingdezhen: quiet, free, a little wild, and especially suitable for creators to stay for a while.
From Sanbao Village to the Jingdezhen Ancient Kiln Folk Customs Museum Area, it takes about 19 minutes by bike.
Here, you can watch experienced old craftsmen make porcelain by hand, which is a truly impressive experience. Come to Jingdezhen to fire porcelain, listen to bowls that seem to “sing,” and witness the living inheritance of intangible cultural heritage together.
This is not a cold, lifeless museum. It is a living birthplace of porcelain. On site, you can find raw materials used for porcelain making, such as porcelain stone and kaolin clay. You can also get a close look at the different firing techniques of the dragon kiln and the Zhen kiln.
Here, you can witness the whole journey from earth to porcelain with your own eyes. After visiting this place, when you go to the Ceramics Museum and look at the exhibits, you will understand much more. You will no longer feel like an outsider.
As you wander around, if you come across an uncle making coffee beside his bicycle, stop for a cup of hand-drip coffee. It tastes really amazing.
Most food in Jiangxi tends to be spicy, but you can also find local dishes that are not spicy. They are light, flavorful, and nourishing.
Stop by a farmhouse restaurant to take a rest, order a simple stew with small yellow croaker, listen to the sound of running water, let go of all your stress, and simply enjoy a good meal.
This authentic farmhouse meal was in Yaoli, Fuliang County. This place is one of the birthplaces of Chinese ceramics. In the past, it would take four days by boat to transport finished porcelain to Jingdezhen.
Fuliang County is not commercialized at all. There are countless tea trees here. If you love Chinese tea, you are very welcome to come and visit. You can buy black tea here, and if you are lucky, you can make an appointment with local people to experience tea picking together.
Tea picking usually takes place in April every year. It is not as simple as it looks it requires patience.
Art festivals are often held here. Art is in Fuliang, and so are porcelain and tea.
Xiongben spent his third birthday here. We cooked three fish from the Yao River in Fuliang County for him, wishing our little one peace, safety, and good health.
If time allows, find a café, sit down, and have a cup of coffee. This is one of the most pleasant things to do in Jingdezhen.
Drinking coffee is easy. What is rare is allowing the pace of your life to slow down, and trying to step out of the rhythm you already know so well. Chat with friends, talk freely about your understanding of porcelain — isn’t this also a kind of deep relaxation and joy?
There are many cafés here. You can walk up toward the hills and come across plenty of them along the way. Choose one you like, and simply let yourself be held by nature.
There is a sentence in the bottom right corner of the picture. You can ask your Chinese friend about it — he or she will explain it to you.
Jingdezhen is a city that invites you to slow down, to listen, to touch, and to truly feel.
From the creative energy of Taoxichuan to the quiet mountain life of Sanbao Village, from ancient kiln fires to the tea fields of Fuliang, every stop reveals a different side of Chinese porcelain, art, and everyday life.
Come here with time, curiosity, and an open heart. You may find that Jingdezhen is not only about ceramics, but also about having a chance to listen to yourself and face yourself.
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