Young artisans sell self-made porcelain artworks at the Taoxichuan Spring and Autumn Art fair in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, in October. [Photo/Xinhua]
When Liu Yan visited Jingdezhen 11 years ago, she came across a pink peach-shaped celestial globe vase. It so impressed her that she decided to stay in the porcelain capital.
"It was my second visit to Jingdezhen in 2013, when I saw the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) porcelain at the Jingdezhen China Ceramics Museum. The artwork was gorgeous, and a strong urge grew in my mind at that moment:'It would be wonderful if I could create something like this.'"
She had recently quit her job as the chief editor of the weekly news department at Changsha Evening News in southern China's Hunan province. She was seeking something new.
Liu began a decade-long journey of studying overglaze enameling, the technique of painting glazed pottery. She started with the basics, such as grinding pigments and drawing lines.
Over time, her passion for painting on porcelain grew. She spent her leisure time reading books, drinking tea, and even bought a used electric bicycle to explore Jingdezhen. Her life there differs greatly from her previous urban working life.
"People in Jingdezhen have a unique aura," she said. "Jingdezhen is home to many interesting and like-minded individuals or artists, and everyone lives based on their skills in this down-to-earth paradise."
Liu Yan paints patterns on a ceramic bowl. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Jingdezhen's ceramic craftsmanship history dates back over 2,000 years. Located in East China's Jiangxi province, its historical role as an official and imperial kiln propelled the art of porcelain making to unprecedented heights. Dubbed the capital of porcelain, Jingdezhen has become a popular destination for young potters and people seeking to suspend their busy and overstressed urban life.
"Jingdezhen is a unique and simple place where everyone is treated equally, and no one is judged based on their possessions or status," said Liu.
Like Liu, more than 30,000 people known as Jingpiao or "Jingdezhen drifters" have migrated to the city from across China, according to data from the local authorities in 2022.
For escapees of the urban grind, porcelain has become a lifestyle: slow, deliberate artistry to offset the abstraction, alienation, and pressures of modern life.
Huang Lizi set up her ceramic studio in Jingdezhen after graduating in 2022.
"I feel like I'm living another kind of life compared to urban people. Life here is slow but cute, as living costs are relatively low," she said.
But as a craft woman who has to earn a living by making ceramics, she has also been through some difficulties.
Liu Yan works on a ceramics bowl at her studio, in Jingdezhen. [Photo provided to China Daily]
"It's easy to start up your own business in Jingdezhen, but you have to be more creative and have better-than-average skills to meet the market.
"After all, your products have to sell out to make a living," she said.
Admist the young Chinese people flocking to Jingdezhen, foreigners have also found a home in the small city.
According to incomplete statistics, more than 5,000 foreign artists live in Jingdezhen. Thousands of ceramic industry professionals gather for the annual Jingdezhen China International Ceramic Fair every October, seeking collaboration and inspiration.
Nick Vest, a 31-year-old artist from Pennsylvania in the United States, arrived in Jingdezhen eight years ago and planted the roots of his artistic career as a sculptor. Over the years, he has presented more than 25 ceramic exhibitions across nine different countries, with his most recent exhibition taking place at the Jingdezhen Sculpture Factory.
"I hope to spend more time in China, especially in Jingdezhen. The artistic atmosphere here is so vibrant, and the fusion of art and life is more pronounced," Vest said.
In addition to serving as a place of inspiration for ceramic artists, Jingdezhen's charms present new opportunities for commercialization.
In 2019, Jingdezhen was approved as a national ceramic culture inheritance and innovation pilot zone. Hu Xuemei, Jingdezhen's mayor, said this has opened new doors.
Torsten Jurell works in his studio at the Taoxichuan ceramic art avenue in Jingdezhen in April. The Swedish artist came to the porcelain capital in 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]
In Zhushan district, where many Jingpiao reside, ceramic art labor unions have been established along with other institutions aiming to provide diverse activities and services to Jingpiao from domestic and international backgrounds, enhancing their sense of belonging, Hu said.
In 2018, Liu came up with the idea of designing and creating her own ceramic art to sell online.
"I started my career in making and selling self-designed ceramics with my friends in Jingdezhen. Over time, our team has grown to include more than a dozen people," she said.
Liu now has over 240,000 followers on her Weibo account, and her Taobao store is a recognized heritage store for ceramic aesthetics.
Her store's best-selling item is a light yellow osmanthus-shaped ceramic tea set, which sells at about 600 yuan, with hundreds of sets sold monthly.
In the future, Liu wants to spread awareness of Jingdezhen and its exquisite ceramics to more people worldwide.
"I spent a few months in Kyoto, Japan, last spring and discovered that even Japanese tea masters and foreigners have limited knowledge about Jingdezhen due to insufficient people-to-people exchanges. They only recognize some tableware and large jars displayed in museums."
"I want to introduce Jingdezhen and ceramics here to Japanese people and would like to hold an exhibition in Tokyo this year, if possible, to showcase Jingdezhen ceramics and the process of making ceramics."
"Jingdezhen should and must be seen by the world."
