Jingdezhen

Jingdezhen, China

The town, in its previous incarnation as “Changnan” during the Song dynasty (960-1279), was synonymous with “china” (which in English also means “ceramics”) and “China” for the Europeans simply because it was the epicenter of ceramics production. Later, it was rebranded as “Jingdezhen” to pay tribute to Emperor Jingde's reign. Anyhow, Jingdezhen's ceramics production has lasted for many centuries and that tradition has been handed down to this day and age –today, Jingdezhen is still and absolutely synonymous with ceramics.

Hemmed in by six scenic mountains and two charming lakes, the “Land of Plenty” in east China's Anhui province is also a major producer of rice and tea in addition to ceramics. Changjiang River, which flows through the town, used to be a busy waterway through which ceramics products found their way to other parts of the country in the old days.

See and Do

• Jingdezhen Ancient Ceramics Kiln and Folk Traditions Zone

  It's a showcase of ancient ceramics baking kilns and traditional ceramics masterpieces. The kilns of different historical periods provide interesting glimpses of the world's oldest ceramics production lines.

• Jingdezhen Museum of Chinese Imperial Kilns

  Imperial kilns appeared in Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) eras, funded by the central government and responsible for producing ceramic objects exclusively for the royal family. A full imperial product line is on display.

• Fuliang

  This walled ancient town dating back to the 9th century used to be the seat of government of the eponymous county, and Jingdezhen was a part of it. Enclosed by an ancient town wall which runs over 10 kilometers in total are some ancient sites, including the government premises, which are one of the four best preserved ancient county government sites in the country.

  
  
  
• Yaoli

  The Chinese name of the ancient town, which means "inside kilns", sheds some light on the town's position in the Chinese ceramics history. In fact, it sired Jingdezhen's ceramics industry. Its ceramics production got off the ground in Tang dynasty (618-907). However, the town lost out to Jingdezhen and in Qing period (1644-1911) its ceramics sector slipped into a decline. Take it as an off-the-beaten-path destination with great nature and interesting ancient architecture.