For a thousand years, Jingdezhen have been producing beautiful porcelains that are loved by the pickiest consumers ranging from emperors to practised ceramic specialists.
Jingdezhen is located in north-east Jiangxi Province between the Huangshan-Haiyushan range and the Plain of Poyang Lake. Blessed with rich sources of kaolin (the white clay ideal for making porcelains), Jingdezhen has been the capital of the product nicknamed “white gold” that bring China worldwide fame.
Historical records state that pottery craft appeared in Jingdezhen then known as Xinping in the Han Dynasty (about the 1st century AD). In 1004 under the Jingde Reign of Song Dynasty, Emperor Zhenzong ordered royal porcelains to be made by the best kilns of the city and marked with the inscription “Made in the reign of Jingde”. Hence the city got the name “Jingdezhen”. Many kilns were destroyed during the time the Mongolians invaded China but the craft survived and improved. By the Ming Dynasty (about the 14th century), Jingdezhen porcelain technique reached its peak. Since the Yuan Dynasty (about 13th century), the number of royal kilns in Jingdezhen remarkably increased and the court also sent supervisors to oversee the production process. The fine porcelains of Jingdezhen impressed the traders of the Silk Road who took them to many countries as far as the Middle East and Europe. The price of porcelains in those markets equaled that of gold hence the nickname “white gold”. Jingdezhen porcelains were on board the famous treasure fleets led by the great navigator Zheng He. Nowadays, porcelain remains the most important industry in Jingdezhen.
The most famous decorative types of Jingdezhen porcelains are: blue details on white, celadon, rice patterned and colour glaze in which the classic blue-and-white is said to be the result of Middle East influence. Porcelains produced in Jingdezhen have been praised to be “as white as jade, as bright as mirror, as thin as paper, as resonant as a bell”. That high quality is the result of labour and sometimes lives of the craftsmen. A folk story says that an emperor wanted vessels with the glaze of red, something no one had succeeded making before and the whole guild would be killed if they failed. On the deadline day, to save everyone, a craftsman threw himself into the blazing kiln and the desired products came into being. In the past, Jingdezhen porcelains served the emperors. In the present, they grace China's national banquets and are favourite national gifts.
The long history of porcelain has left its marks on Jingdezhen. The city is described as a huge museum of the craft of porcelain. The ancient kilns, both royal and private, are well preserved though unused revealing the evolution of the production process of the past. People who are interested can visit the old dock where kaolin was transported to the workshops and the once hustle and bustle main commercial street. Old constructions used the side products of porcelain making. Lastly, though porcelain production has been adapted to modern conditions, the aim for the best quality remains the same.
Reference:
http://www.jingdezhen.gov.cn/en/
