Ceramic culture in Jingdezhen has been quietly firing for over 900 years. 

Long known as China‘s porcelain capital in Jiangxi Province, the third-tier city was once all industry and little lifestyle. But that’s changing — and fast. A new downtown cultural hub, a David Chipperfield Architects-designed performance art center, and a steady flow of high-speed trains from Shanghai — 13 and counting — are breathing new life into the historic kiln city.

Like many other urban renewal stories in China, Jingdezhen’s was also prompted by an ambitious architectural project called Taoxichuan, which means “a stream of ceramics.”

Launched in 2016, the 6.5 billion renminbi, or $906 million, multifunctional creative hub quickly became a gathering ground for creative transplants, or what city officials call “Jing drifters.”

Jeremie Thircuir, a French curator and writer who has lived in China for almost 20 years, first found himself in Jingdezhen around the same time that Taoxichuan opened. “It was a French guy who was secretly making ceramics work for [Yayoi] Kusama in Jingdezhen,” Thircuir recalls. 

In recent years Thircuir has been spending more time in town, where an ample supply of fourth-wave coffee shops and artisan pastries made Jingdezhen living easy for the Frenchman. “There is something very linked between baking and ceramic. They are both very precise,” Thircuir observes.

Thircuir quickly fell in love with Jingdezhen’s specialty jade porcelain. Crafted from a local clay high in silicate, which produces a very translucent effect, the material inspired him to produce a series of Margiela-esque all-white porcelain fruits and vegetable objects, then a more commercial set of tableware dubbed “Blanc de Jade.” The name of the latter riffs on “Blanc de Chine,” a super white porcelain made in Dehua, Fujian Province, and beloved by French connoisseurs.

“What I make is pure ‘porcelain biscuit,’ made without glaze to create a very soft and matte feeling, it’s all about terroir [the land],” says Thircuir, who recently found out from another local artist that the city has begun to issue clay export restrictions — not necessarily out of scarcity but as a shrewd tactic to build up the brand that is Jingdezhen.

“So much of China’s rich and historical craft is situated in rich regions near Shanghai, and Jiangxi province has been a very poor place throughout history. But when other cities want to bank on cultural tourism like Jingdezhen, it’s hard. If you only have one kind of clay, one kind of firing technique, you quickly hit a wall,” says Thircuir. 

Since 2015 a generous artist residency program — cofounded by American artist Ryan Mitchell — has welcomed over 3,600 artists from 56 countries. The program not only fostered a close-knit global community but also expanded the creative vocabulary of Jingdezhen ceramics. The city’s nearly pre-industrial process, traditionally involving more than 70 steps, is now evolving to include modern techniques such as 3D printing.

Ten years after the opening of the Taoxichuan hub, which is now filled with museums, galleries, porcelain shops, artist studios, and a community sports center, the campus is expanding its ambitions beyond ceramics art to become a mega culture center spanning 17 million square feet.

Its signature red brick structure will fill an adjacent city block, one that began with the city’s first global hotel name, the Taoxichuan Hotel. Operated by Hyatt, the David Chipperfield Architects-designed, five-star hotel neighbors a new performance art center, a music academy — both devised by Chipperfield — and a fashion textile research facility called Zhu Stage. 

The boutique hotel chain Indigo is also prepping for its launch in the area, as are a series of local hospitality brands that have billed the Jingdezhen experience as “from just staying the night to living within art,” wrote one called Nature And, a Shanghai-based developer.

A quick 15-minute taxi ride from the downtown Taoxichuan area will take visitors to the vast expanse of Jingdezhen valleys. Smaller artist villages, such as Sanbao and 740 Factory, have blossomed into satellite tourism attractions. To escape the increasingly touristy downtown, Letian Creative Market, one of the most prestigious platforms in Jingdezhen, also moved to a creek-side village in Fuliang.

Artists who graduate from the Taoxichuan lifestyle often seek a new life in the mountainous terrains of Jingdezhen. Four years ago, artist Wu Jingwen moved out of the bustling downtown area and went on to transform an unassuming farmhouse into a quiet, contemplative studio. “I wanted to build my own gas kiln, which was not allowed at Ceramics Factory,” says Wu of the firing method that allows for more special surface effects.

Known for her work that celebrates female forms through earthy textures, Wu believes that the meditative art of ceramics can only be fully appreciated in quietude. 

“Soil and clay has a certain warmth to it, perhaps it’s because they represent a piece of the afterlife of our ancestors. It’s calming, it keeps me company, even though we can’t talk,” says Wu.

Over time, the pared-back space evolved into an intimate gathering place where Wu connects with customers on a more personal level. Most recently, she collaborated with Dongliang and Muji on projects in Shanghai; Wu also works with several boutique furniture stores in Hangzhou.

Independent studios like Wu’s offer visitors a unique sense of discovery, while destinations such as the Ceramics Palace and Bingding Wood Kiln Factory provide similarly immersive experiences. Here are a few must-visit spots for first-time visitors in Jingdezhen and nearby areas.

What To See:

Taoxichuan

Taoxichuan is a creative hub launched in 2016 at the heart of the industrial town — its red brick-adorned, streamlined architectural structures are only a 30-minute ride away from the train station or the airport. Taoxichuan’s dense yet eclectic lineup of ceramic museums, galleries, showrooms, cafes, and restaurants has singlehandedly made the city a more livable space for both local and global transplants, who often set up studios within the hub.

Spanning over 1 million square feet, Taoxichuan was a former state-owned factory cluster revamped as a cultural gathering ground and a nighttime tourist destination. Initially opened in 2015, it is home to six art museums and numerous porcelain shops, ceramics markets, and artist studios. 

West Xinchang Road and North Taoxichuan Road

Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute

The latest creation atop the ceramic archaeological site is a series of arched and tunnel-shaped red-brick structures designed to resemble the ancient dragon kiln. Created by Chinese architect Zhu Pei and opened four years ago, the space has one of the most extensive collections of Ming and Qing dynasty ceramic artifacts.

No.187, Zhushan Middle Road

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Letian Creative Market

Launched by the prestigious Letian Pottery Workshop, a ceramic educational center founded in Hong Kong that made a name for itself in Jingdezhen, the Saturday ceramics market, located at the satellite village Fuliang, is where independent ceramicists, carefully vetted by the Workshop for originality, begin their careers. This often means a more affordable price point.

Shuangfengqiao Village, Yi Design Factory

Open every Saturday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm

Sanbao Village

A growing number of specialty boutiques, cafés, and porcelain studios, often converted from local farmhouses, line the 12-kilometer stretch of Sanbao Village, an artists’ community initiated by a local ceramics professor 30 years ago. A 20-minute drive from downtown Taoxichuan, Sanbao’s most recent tourist attraction is the Sanbaopeng Art Colony, inaugurated in 2016. Located on a slope in the village, the serene area is home to the popular multibrand retail store and café Bukongshan as well as Sanbaopeng Art Museum, and several boutique hotels.

Sanbao Lu, Jingdezhen

Where to Stay

Taoxichuan Hotel

The David Chipperfield Architects-designed Taoxichuan Hotel is part of the second phase of the Taoxichuan cultural complex, also led by the esteemed British architecture firm. Jingdezhen’s first five-star hotel, it is operated by Hyatt and features three interconnected buildings, 196 rooms and seven suites, all spacious and styled in warm palettes and earthy textures. All rooms include private balconies overlooking the cultural district. 

Guests can also enjoy ceramic-making lessons at the hotel and explore its in-house gallery, which showcases the latest works by “Jing drifter” artists and potters.

Building 1, Phase II , Taoxichuan, Intersection of Zhushan Avenue and Taoxichuan South Road

What to Eat:

Nitto Birth

Offering an expansive menu that highlights the spiced flavors of the Jiangxi palette, must-try dishes include grilled Fuliang chicken, sea bass in lemon sour soup, braised beef short ribs with wild chestnut and Fuliang black tea, and oil residue taro paste.

Taoxichuan, S1-102

Open every day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.