Jingdezhen (jǐng dé zhèn 景德镇), known as the “Porcelain Capital” of China, has a long history and a magnificent culture. It is located on the south of the Yangtze, between the Huangshan Mountain (huáng shān 黄山) range and the plains of Poyang Lake (pó yáng hú 鄱阳湖). It is one of the four famous towns in Chinese history, designated one of the first 24 famous Chinese cities of historical and cultural interests and a first-rate city opening to the foreigners by China’s State Council.
Endowed by nature with a network of rivers and hills, Jingdezhen is a municipality directly under the provincial government with a total area of about 5,248 square kilometers and a population of 1.49 million. It is an ancient city with a long history and magnificent culture. The city’s reputation for producing fine porcelain began in the Eastern Han Dynasty (dōng hàn 东汉). During the Song Dynasty (sòng dài 宋代) the Jingdezhen workshop was commissioned to produce porcelain for the imperial court. It enjoys a monsoon subtropical climate. Its climate is characterized by adequate sunshine, sufficient rainfall and obvious distinctions between the four seasons. The annual average temperature in the city is 17 C. The main products are porcelain stone, Kaolin, marble, tea, paddy, soybean, wheat, peanut, rapeseed etc.
Since the period of Han Dynasty (hàn dài 汉代), Jingdezhen has had the ceramic industry. Up to now, it has more than 2000 years of history. Traditionally, Jingdezhen was titled Ceramic Capital. Porcelain of Jingdezhen has a beautiful shape, various types, rich decorations and unique styles. It is worldwide famous for its color as white jade, brightness as bright mirror, thinness as paper and sound as music. Qinghua Porcelain (qīng huā 青花), Linglong Porcelain(líng lóng 玲珑), Fencai Porcelain (fěn cǎi 粉彩) and Seyou Porcelain (sè yòu 色釉) altogether are called Four Traditionally Famous Porcelains in Jingdezhen.
1. Ancient Porcelain Street (gǔ dài cí qì jiē 古代瓷器街)
It is in the center of Jingdezhen. It was the most busy and bustling street in the late Ming (míng dài 明代) and early Qing Dynasties (qīng dài 清代), now renowned for its long history and beautiful traditions that come from its ancient culture. The street is composed of three parts, each of which fully reflects its prosperous past. Exquisitely designed and decorated residences were clearly the elite residences of their time and demonstrate the highest skills and architectural knowledge of Chinese artisans of their eras.
• Admission Fee: Free
2. Ceramic History Museum (jǐng dé zhèn táo cí bó wù guǎn 景德镇陶瓷博物馆)
Located in the western suburb of Jingdezhen City, It is a professional ceramic museum built in 1980, with 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.
• Admission Fee: CNY 10
3. Longzhu Pavilion (lóng zhū gé 龙珠阁)
Longzhu Pavilion is located on the top of the Zhushan Mountain (zhū shān 珠山) of Jingdezhen. It is a monument to Jingdezhen’s ceramic industry. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was a place for making ceramics for the imperial family which means there are a lot of precious culture relics of those two dynasties on display.
• Admission Fee: CNY 15
4. Yuyao Factory (yù yáo chǎng 御窑厂)
The early Ming Dynasty, Yuyao factory was established. Yu means, the emperor dedicated. Yao means, Kiln, the place where produce porcelain. China is a country of porcelain, and we can say that the porcelains which Yuyao made during Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties were the best in the world.
• Admission Fee: CNY 15
5. Fuliang Ancient County Government (fú liáng gǔ xiàn yá 浮梁古县衙 )
The Fuliang Ancient County Government is in the suburb of Jingdezhen. It is a well preserved ancient county government site, which was set up 1,100 years ago. In it, you can see the official robes, sedan chairs and even instruments of torture. Visiting the site of the ancient county government is really a good chance to understand the politics of ancient China.
• Admission Fee: CNY 50
6. Ming Qing Garden (míng qīng yuán 明青园)
Ming Qing Garden is located in Jingdezhen porcelain sculpture factory. It is Jingdezhen international ceramics center. Construction of Chinese Ming Dynasty style. The porcelain street is a copy of ancient Jingdezhen. Many artists have studios here,showing intricate art of ceramic sculpture.
• Admission Fee: CNY 10
7. Yaoli (yáo lǐ 瑶里)
Yaoli is in Fuliang County which is 50 kilometers from downtown Jingdezhen. With good forest coverage, abundant animal resources, characteristic lanes, the town is well-known for its beautiful natural scenery. Additionally, it is the cradle of Jingdezhen’s ceramics industry. Gaoling(gāo lǐng 高岭) Village located in Yaoli once provided enough raw materials for making porcelain in the ancient times. Today, Kaolin, a world famous kind of clay, is named according to its Chinese pronunciation.
• Admission Fee: CNY 150
8. The Moon Lake (yuè liàng hú 月亮湖)
The Moon Lake Scenic Area lies in Liyang Town (lì yáng xiāng 丽阳). It is 10 kilometers from downtown Jingdezhen. There are many hills and lots of wild birds inhabit the area. It got the name because of its moon-shape. Besides the charming scenery, it has some entertainment facilities, such as motorboats and luxury speed boats and also you can enjoy fishing there.
9. Red Tower (hóng tǎ 红塔)
Because the wall is red, so the tower called Red Tower.
By Train
The WanGan (wǎn gàn 皖赣) Railway (Anhui – Jiangxi) connects Jingdezhen to many key cities in China. The Jingdezhen Railway Station is located in the city center.
By Air
Jingdezhen Airport is located at Luojia Village (luó jiā cūn 罗家村), northwest of Jingdezhen City, about 8 kilometers from the city downtown. There are no international flights.
Getting around
Jingdezhen public buses and taxis are the two main means of transportation within the city. Nearly more than 20 public bus lines crisscross the city and its countryside. Taxis in Jingdezhen are plentiful with fares starting at CNY 5 for the first 2 kilometers.
Cold Vermicelli (lěng fěn 冷粉). This is one brand name of Jingdezhen snacks. It is different from vermicelli of other regions. The vermicelli is thicker and has a half centimeter of diameter. It is also has the diversities of seasonings such as bean sauce, pepper sauce, orange peel, garlic and ginger.
Jiaoziba (jiǎo zǐ bā 饺子粑). Jiaoziba generally is taken as the breakfast and night food. Diversities of stuffing covered by powder-made slice are steamed on steam boxes. Through the thin slices, eaters can see the stuffing clearly. Additionally it has different taste after fried. Generally the stuffing is divided into hot and non-spicy. The spicy stuffing is made of the carrot slices, and the non-spicy stuffing is made of the eggs with leeks. Additionally it also has the stuffing made of the bean sprout and bean-curd.
Xianshuiba (jiǎn shuǐ pá 碱水耙). This is the classical snack in Jingdezhen. Xianshuiba generally is unavailable in other areas, and it can be eaten during the time of Lunar Spring Festival. It is delicious, and will be more tasteful if you cook it with eggs or add some preserved vegetable.