Jingdezhen Ceramic History Museum Overview & Map Weather Transportation Information
This museum is located in the Panlong Mountains, outside the city of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province. Panlong means "curling dragons," and the location of the museum is an ancient site for ceramic production in China that used the mountainsides for what are known as dragon kilns. The museum was built in 1980. Inside the museum are a compound of ancient kiln buildings and a compound of dwelling houses of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In the ancient kiln workshop, workers can be seen giving technical performances of making ceramics manually to make copies of ancient porcelain.
What to see
The museum covers an area of 830,000 square meters. Inside the museum are a compound of ancient kiln buildings and a compound of dwelling houses of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In the ancient kiln workshop, workers can be seen giving technical performances of making ceramics manually to make copies of ancient porcelain. In the dwelling houses of the Qing Dynasty there is an exhibition of the ceramic development history of Jingdezhen and an exhibition of calligraphies and paintings. In the building of folk customs, there is a folk custom exhibition showing the Jingdezhen porcelain industry.
Antique architecture
Here, you also have a chance to enjoy the beautiful antique architecture of the Museum. The architecture of the Museum is in Ming and Qing style, namely two gardens. They are composed of ancient kiln-workshops, ancient kilns, and ancient structures that were originally scattered throughout Jingdezhen City but have now been collected here by the government.
The "Wangbo Residence" in Ming Garden is a house in the typical Hui style. The Qing garden is one group of buildings within the museum area. It lies in a secluded and quiet forested valley. The two most representative buildings in Qing Garden are the "Yuhuantang," a memorial temple in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), and the "Dafu Residence," meaning a residence for scholars in the Qing Dynasty. In the great hall of the Yuhuantang some of these valuable ceramics are on display.
Excellent ceramics
What attract most attention at this Jingdezhen Ceramics History Museum are the exhibits of valuable ancient ceramics and the demonstrations of handicrafts by which these ceramics were originally made. The museum has collected over 5,000 items of historical relics. Around 100 items are Class One relics, most of which are products of government porcelain kilns, the porcelains left from the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) and the samples showing the processing technique of the celadon of the Yuan Dynasty.
The celadon pillow with the pattern of dragon and tiger left from the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) combines the technique of piercing and picking-up; the celadon vase with the pattern of plums left from the Yuan Dynasty is one of the best among the celadon products left from the Yuan Dynasty; and the celadon big plate, 72 cm in diameter, with the pattern of a sea animal, is a special product produced from the imperial porcelain kiln at that time.
In the great hall of the Yuhuantang some of these valuable ceramics are on display. They include recently excavated examples of Ming-dynasty pieces from the reigns of Yongle and Xuande. The glazes are lustrous and soft and the pieces are dated with reign marks and are masterpieces of the art at the time, with tremendous artistic as well as scientific research value.
Ancient kiln workshops
In neighboring simple and unadorned handicrafts workshops, craftsmen use ancient implements to demonstrate traditional arts. Focusing single mindedly on making beautiful replicas, they demonstrate the entire process of creating ceramics. More than 150 older artisans, together with a younger generation that is carrying on the tradition, can be seen kneading clay, fashioning vessels, applying under glazes. The production process is basically the same as was recorded in Ming and Qing period histories.
The workshops are themselves works of art, for they are replicas of the ancient ceramics craftsmen's actual architecture. The entire presentation represents the most complete set of handicrafts systems that has been come down to us from the Qing dynasty.
Something to suggest
If you want to have a wonderful tour there, October is the best month to visit, for the annual "Jingdezhen National Ceramic Festival" begins on October 12th and lasts for one month
When to visit
Opening Hours: 8:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.
Getting there
By bus: No.15, 19
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