Historic kilns fire up memories

The early settlement of Jingdezhen was developed around kilns, which were built along the Changjiang River and its branches. Local people used the kilns as social and public gathering spaces. As a result, a unique culture developed, which was, and still is, closely connected to porcelain production.

In 2015, Jingdezhen put its imperial kilns used to fire porcelain for the courts in the dynasties of Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) forward in a bid for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage Site status.

Between 2017 and 2023, the city added more kilns used from late Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Qing Dynasty to its bid package in the hope of presenting more details of its porcelain-making history.

In July 2023, the city rolled out a brand-new strategy to apply to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It includes the old district of the city, and some areas such as Gaoling, Yaoli and Jiaotan that used to provide kaolin clay and wood, as well as the river system.

"The time-honored kilns are not the whole picture of the city," says Wang, who also doubles as the director of Jingdezhen's office for cultural heritage application and protection.

"The new strategy highlights the history of Jingdezhen's porcelain industry and city building."