Firing up a shining past for porcelain

Kilns ignited again as their storied history returns to life in front of new generation of admirers, Deng Zhangyu reports in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi.

Editor's note: An array of Chinese cities have maintained their cultural memories in the form of historical neighborhoods that have only added to their multilayered charm and vigor with the passage of time. China Daily is taking readers on a journey to some of these timeless areas, where President Xi Jinping has left his footsteps and remarked on the preservation and vitalization of heritage. In this installment, we take a walk through the Taoyangli historical and cultural district in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, to examine the time-honored ceramic tradition of the city known as "China's porcelain capital".

In China's porcelain capital of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province, ceramics have been woven into the very fabric of the city for centuries. At its core, the Taoyangli historical and cultural district is a beacon of this storied past, a place where kiln fires once blazed through the night, and porcelain was made every day.

This area, comprising the remnants of the Imperial Kiln Factory, the kilns of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, and old workshops used by ceramic artisans, is a testament to Jingdezhen's illustrious heritage.

"The Taoyangli district as a whole is an open and living museum. When visitors come here, they can experience what life was like hundreds of years ago — potters living and making porcelain, and traders from all over the country who shipped the goods worldwide," says Weng Yanjun, director of the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute.