Vessel of culture

A performer uses Jingdezhen ceramics to create music.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Wang Shenfang, who has painted unfired pieces for three decades, decorates ceramic works with tea flowers and sickles with quick flicks of her brush. Her brush seems to dance as she finishes a bowl in about half a minute.

The park houses kilns from the Qing (1644-1911), Ming (1368-1644), Yuan (1271-1368) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. The gray-brick furnaces are fired up for demos on Cultural Heritage Day on the second Saturday of June and the Jingdezhen International Ceramic Fair every Oct 18-20.

The park also hosts porcelain musical-instrument performances.

Jingdezhen's historical legacy draws contemporary artists from around the world. They congregate in Dongshi district, where they operate studios and galleries in a modern porcelain plant.

Many foreigners come during the April-July and September-October periods, a plant worker says.

Seoul native Jung Gilyoung has lived in Jingdezhen for three years.

"I could only make small pieces in South Korea because of technical restrictions," the 55-year-old says.

"But the skilled craftspeople here make large pieces possible."

Jung's works incorporate sculpting and painting.