Exploring the Remains of Jingdezhen's Handcrafted Porcelain Industry: Kaolin and Ancient Wharves Link the Thousand-Year Porcelain Capital

Jingdezhen’s "Handmade Porcelain Industry Remains" was inscribed on the World Heritage List on July 25, drawing renewed attention to this millenniumold porcelain capital. Recently, reporters visited relevant sites in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, and Fuliang County, tracing how a handful of soil is refined, shaped, and fired before reaching overseas markets. In the Gaoling Mountain area of Fuliang County, the Gaoling porcelain clay mine ruins preserve traces of ancient washing ponds, earth pits, and old roads. Local authorities say the kaolin produced here was once an important raw material for Jingdezhen’s porcelainmaking. Combined with porcelain stone to form a "binary formula," it enabled the firing of larger and more complex porcelain pieces and laid the foundation for Jingdezhen’s status as the world’s porcelainmaking center from the 16th to the 18th century. The article also mentions that during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Imperial Kiln Factory was responsible for producing imperial porcelain for the court, while also serving as an important place for technological R&D and talent training. The Sanlv Temple Ancient Wharf connected the input of raw materials with the shipment of finished products. Jingdezhen porcelain was transported via the Chang River, Poyang Lake, and the Yangtze River to destinations far and wide, becoming one of the important commodities on the Maritime Silk Road and in foreign trade. Experts believe that what Jingdezhen preserves is not just ruins, but a complete industrial ecosystem and urban structure.