Everywhere you go in China you see lovely little tea sets of all shapes and sizes which I have admired since I arrived. Thought it was time I visited the "home" of porcelain making and see where it all started. The very small city of Jingdezhen, with a population of 1.6 million, has been known as the "porcelain city" since the Song
dynasty. It has a long history of over 1700 years of porcelain making so I figure they must have got it right by now!!

As you enter the city you are greeted with a sculpture of a giant red flame....said to represent the fires that keep the kilns burning in the process of porcelain making. In fact you cant help but tell this is the home of porcelain as the lamp posts are covered in them, walls are covered in them and everything is dedicated to this fine art......even found ceramic waste bins!!!! I stayed right in the centre of town and headed out to the museums, factories and markets to learn all I could about the ancient art of china /porcelain /ceramics making.

First stop was the Ceramic History Museum now known as the Folk Customs Museum. The use of the word "museum" could be a bit off-putting to many and in fact this is so much more....it is actually a living and working museum dedicated to the ancient art of porcelain making. It is not some stuffy old building but acres and acres of elegant buildings, workshops and ancient kilns from many dynasties. Some have been on this site for 1000s of years and some have been moved to this site by the Government over a period of time to ensure the safe-keeping of the traditional pieces and protect this cultural heritage. There is even an ancient temple on the site!!!

Along with the elegant architecture, traditional gardens and workshops are the porcelain masters still at work today, Most of these men and women are in their 80s and are passing on the secrets to younger workers. All of the workers use the tools and ancient methods to produce traditional porcelain. The entire process is in line with historical records and Jingdezhen is renowned as the oldest porcelain making production line in the world. The best bit is they are not at all precious about their work and were happy to let me have a go......despite much help from an 89 year old man my pot ended up on the scrap pile.....not up to their meticulous standards I'm afraid!! I also got to have a go at painting some as well but with my lack of artistic skills I suspect those pots ended up in the same scrap heap after I left.

The different kilns were fascinating and one actually holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest wood fired ceramic kiln measuring 260.03 cubic meters. Measurements like this don't mean much to me but I can assure you it is HUGE. It would hold 1000s of pots in one firing. There is also another kiln shaped like a gourd which is from the Ming Dynasty. Even the way they stack the wood is amazing. I've included a photo of the "woodpile" to show you - they stack the wood so it is shaped like a house - the purpose being that it allows air to circulate and keeps the wood dry for the firing.

There are examples of work from many dynasties and it is amazing to think that many of these pieces are thousands of years old. So delicate and fine and yet have somehow managed to survive multiple wars as well as the Cultural Revolution when so much was destroyed. One of the old masters told me that good porcelain is said to be as white as jade, as bright as a mirror, as thin as paper and as melodious as a chime.

Also visited the Ancient Folk Kiln Museum which is located within the site of the Hu Tian kiln Relics. This museum which is also a cultural heritage conservation unit has examples of ceramic relics from Five Dynasty through to the Republic of China. The Hu Tian kilns are famous for the production of the iconic blue and white porcelain which put Jingdezhen on the world map.

Visited one of the ceramic factories and was added on a tour with a group of Chinese tourists.....needless to say I'm not 100% sure of what was said but I got the general idea of how things work today. to the delight of the Chinese tourists I was also happy to pose for photos so once again I am on numerous I-phones, I-pads and cameras within China.

Took a walk down Ancient Street (lao jie) which is now used as a market place but each side of the street is filled with ancient buildings from the Qing and Ming dynasties. Mind you I am starting to wonder if every city in China has a "lao jie" as I have seen so many in my travels

Within the city there are 5 ceramic markets with over 6000 stores so there is no shortage of places to purchase a memento or 2. After 2 full days of wandering around the city I think I have seen enough china to last me a lifetime!! Jingdezhen might not be on the top of everyone's list of places to visit but I am glad I found the time to come and see the ancient art of porcelain making in its home. Unfortunately I did not purchase any of the bigger items that I admired as I was too concerned that they would get broken trying to get them home. If I was heading back to Australia I would have got them to pack and ship it for me but as I was heading to Nanjing on the train I though the risk was just a bit too high!!

Now a bit more information for those who like to read more indepth about the places I visit.....
Jingdezhen

During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC), it was originally situated to the east of Chu boundary. Then it became a town under Jiujiang County of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 207 BC). It was called Poyang County during the Han Dynasty (206 BC –220). Jingdezhen got its present name from the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279) when blue and white porcelain was produced in this area.
Ceramic History Museum
The Ceramic History Museum, now Jingdezhen Ceramic Folk-Custom Museum is a
professional ceramic museum covering an area of about 83 hectares. The museum has a rich collection of over 5,000 articles. The items on display include ceramics from past dynasties, historical information about ceramics, precious collections of paintings and calligraphies, among which many are of excellent quality.In addition to the wide variety of articles in the exhibition, the beautiful antique architecture of the museum attracts tourists too. The antique architecture is in two parts: Ming Garden and Qing Garden. The 'Wangbo Residence' in Ming Garden is a house in the typical Hui style. The two most representative buildings in Qing Garden are the 'Yuhuantang', a memorial temple in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and the 'Dafu Residence', meaning a residence for scholars in the Qing Dynasty. The two gardens are composed of ancient kiln-workshops, ancient kilns, and ancient structures that were originally scattered throughout Jingdezhen City but have now been collected here by the government.
Near the Qing Garden are a group of kiln-workshops in which the ceramics are manufactured. Tourists can not only watch the manufacturing process and appreciate the elaborate techniques, but also experience the process themselves. Visitors can buy any beautiful ceramic works they like.

Jingdezhen Old Street
Jingdezhen Old Street is located on the west bank of the Chang River, in the center of Jingdezhen. It is a famous street in China, renowned for its long history and beautiful traditions that come from its ancient culture. This street is composed of three parts each of which fully reflects its prosperous past and its important position as a transportation center.
Ming Street was established in the Ming Dynasty (1271-1368) and is about 90 meters long and 3 meters wide. This arch-shaped street is paved with blue bricks, which are put together and arranged in the shape of turtle shells. From a distance it seems as if crowds of tortoises are creeping toward the pier from the village. The old buildings flanking the sides of the street are, like the rest of the street, very well preserved and have survived through more than 600 years of political and other historical changes. These Ming Dynasty buildings are now listed in the major protected heritage areas of Jingdezhen because of their architectural and historical value.

Qing Street was established in the Qing Dynasty (1368-1644) and is much longer and wider than Ming Street. The ruts on the stones were created by the old-fashioned wheelbarrows that were in common use in the past. This street was a very prosperous commercial area during the Qing Dynasty and the shops, teahouses and residences along side of the street are well preserved. In the 1990's there was a rebuilding project which added some modern buildings to the street and they live side-by-side with the buildings of the past. Here is yet another place in China where the modern and the ancient come together to serve the present.