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Jingdezhen: China’s ancient porcelain capital turns young and chic
As China’s ancient porcelain capital, Jingdezhen is both traditional and youthful. Through urban renewal, it has come back as a fashionable city and a magnet for young ceramists from China and beyond. Over the past decade, the old industrial city registered a net population inflow of 136,000, about 80 percent of them being young adults. Local producers still strive to preserve the traditional way of making porcelain, treasured as the city’s competitive edge in the era of mechanical mass manufacturing.
It may surprise many to learn that a star exhibit in Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital, is an underdog ceramic that failed to enter the imperial collections.
The « Ducktor Sui, » or « Sui Sui Duck, » was crafted during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Adorned with elaborate details and whimsical, flower-like eyes, these porcelain incense burners were intended for the royal palace in Beijing, but for unknown reasons, they never reached their prestigious destination. Broken and discarded, they were buried at the kiln, only to be unearthed by archaeologists in the 1980s.
Standing in the city’s Imperial Kiln Museum, a pair of such « celebrity ducks » is always surrounded by admiring tourists. Artists rediscovered their wacky beauty and created popular cartoon figures. Their IPs have generated a revenue of over 10 million yuan (about 1.4 million U.S. dollars) so far this year.
Even Khaby Lame, a widely popular TikTok personality, paid a visit to the museum last Saturday and posed with the ducks wearing his iconic « wordless » expression.
« Some young people may see themselves in the duck, talented but not yet successful, » said Weng Yanjun, head of the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute, which developed the « Sui Sui Duck » IPs. « Trendy designs also helped people today better connect with the ancient handicrafts, » he said.
The newfound popularity of these ancient ducks is part of a bigger success for Jingdezhen. Within a few years, the old industrial city achieved a dual takeoff involving cultural tourism and its millennium-old porcelain industry, shaking off its old image of a polluted city with a declining industry.
Nationwide, Jingdezhen exemplifies the success of China’s new urban renewal approach, which, rather than blindly pursuing GDP growth and modernity, places greater emphasis on a city’s cultural roots.
BUILDING HOME FOR MIGRANT ARTISTS
Jingdezhen in the eastern province of Jiangxi may not sound familiar to international tourists, but for centuries, it has been a mecca for ceramists and porcelain collectors around the world.
The small city, once a humble town, has long been famous for its jade-like, paper-thin porcelain. In 1004 AD, an emperor of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) admired the local craftsmanship so deeply that he bestowed his reign title, « Jingde, » on the town. Since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), local craftsmen have mastered the world-renowned blue-and-white porcelain that later dominated China’s ceramic exports for centuries.
Local ceramic making entered an era of rapid industrialization in the 20th century, especially after the establishment of 10 big state-operated porcelain factories. With state-of-the-art equipment and coal-fired kilns replacing firewood kilns, the factories once produced nearly half of China’s household ceramics.
These big factories were, however, closed in the late 1990s, giving way to the rise of the market economy. Thousands of private workshops have emerged since then, but they have also spawned chaotic competition. Mass layoffs ensued, and workers’ dormitories got poorly maintained, with some deteriorating into shantytowns.
In an attempt to revitalize the city, officials were divided on how to reclaim the ruins of the dysfunctional state factories. Eventually, proponents for conservation won over those in favor of bulldozing the factories for real estate development.
« These buildings embody memories and craftsmanship handed down through generations. Preserving them is an essential part of passing on our cultural heritage, » recalled Liu Zili, board chairman of a state-owned company that undertook the renovation project.
Work began in 2012 to repair the dilapidated factories without changing their original looks. Instead of simply wooing tourists, conservationists set their sights on « Jingpiao, » a group of young artists and artisans who choose to live and chase dreams in this porcelain capital.
« It is their belief that as a ceramist, one must go to Jingdezhen, » said Zhang Jie, an architect from Tsinghua University who participated in the renovation project. « Back then, these self-employed young people lived in run-down parts of the city. They worked very hard, and many have become established artists. »
With Zhang’s help, Liu’s company built Taoxichuan, a neighborhood for « Jingpiaos, » at the site of the former Yuzhou porcelain factory. All 22 factory buildings have been preserved and converted into galleries, workshops and exhibition halls, as well as promenades where young artists can set up stalls at a monthly rent of 300 yuan.
To further support these young ceramists, four new low-rent youth apartment blocks are being built near Taoxichuan. « Jingpiaos » are also eligible for interest-free loans and can seek assistance from a talent service bureau.
Opened in 2016, Taoxichuan has now become a paradise for « Jingpiaos, » whose number has tripled from 20,000 in 2012 to 60,000. Last year, more than 11 million tourists visited Taoxichuan, drawn by its lively fairs and well-preserved old kilns, machines and archives.
Like Taoxichuan, more than 160 old kilns and 108 traditional alleys have been renovated citywide, with their original appearances largely restored, according to Xu Hui, vice mayor of Jingdezhen.
Thanks to its cultural and youthful vibe, Jingdezhen registered a net population inflow of 136,000 over the past decade, 80 percent of them being young adults. Ceramists in their 20s and 30s fill the city’s workshops, while young tourists are seen meandering in every alley.
Matt Watterson, a 30-year-old ceramist from the United States, is one of the international « Jingpiaos » attracted by the city’s strong community of ceramists.
Watterson once handled every step of ceramic-making himself, from mixing clay to preparing glaze. But in Jingdezhen, he found a vast community of ceramists to collaborate with and draw inspiration from.
« Being an artist in Jingdezhen is almost like being back in university, where you have so many like-minded people around you, » he said.
HANDICRAFT OVER MACHINES
Unlike old industrial areas that have switched outright to the service industry in the post-industrialization era, Jingdezhen sticks steadfastly to porcelain making. Last year, its ceramics industry reported an output of over 93 billion yuan, marking a yearly growth of over 9 percent, with the products exported to more than 80 countries and regions.
Local producers, including 60,000 small workshops, still take great pride in preserving the traditional way of making porcelain, though some have adopted a limited level of mechanical manufacturing to raise profits.
At Fuyu Porcelain, a three-meter-wide concrete road separates two eras. On one side, veteran artisans aged over 50 carve, glaze and fire entirely by hand. Across the road stands a sleek three-story facility, equipped with automated carving machines and robotic arms that apply glaze with precision.
Where a craftsman once crafted six handled teacups in an hour, machinery now produces 36, said Cao Cen, administration director of Fuyu, which has grown from a small workshop into a leading household porcelain maker in Jingdezhen.
Educated in Britain, Fuyu’s second-generation leader Lyu Yating navigates daily collisions between tradition and innovation. « Our veteran artisans and young engineers often disagree with each other. Yet their conflicts also spark unexpected innovations, » she said.
« Machines can realize standardized mass production, but the core competence of Jingdezhen lies in bespoke handmade porcelains, » said Xu Wan, general manager of Chentian Ceramics, echoing a widely shared view in the city’s ceramic sector.
The company takes orders from China-chic toy brands like Pop Mart as well as global luxury houses, producing bespoke porcelains often too intricate for machines. Even in its 16,000-square-meter modern factory, many skilled artisans are still needed to perfect details that technology cannot yet master.
Xu is optimistic about the prospects of Jingdezhen’s handmade porcelains, despite their higher pricing and lower output. The city government lends strong support, from organizing overseas exhibitions to strengthening copyright protection, in a bid to enhance the global image of local brands.
Moreover, China’s cultural tourism boom and revival of traditional cultures are drawing young consumers closer to the ancient porcelain capital.
« Young people today spend with purpose, » Xu said. « Contemporary designs help porcelain resonate with younger buyers, while millennia-old craftsmanship gives it lasting collectible value. What today’s youth purchase is tomorrow’s heirlooms. »
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