Jingdezhen rewards the prepared visitor.
The good things here — the Imperial Kiln ruins, the national museum, a master’s studio in Sanbao — all need reservations, timing and someone who knows which door to knock on. That is what we do.
Museums booked, no queue
The China Ceramics Museum and the Imperial Kiln Museum both cap daily entry. Your reservation is held in advance — you walk straight in.
No commissioned shopping
No "factory showroom" detours. If you want to buy, we take you to the studios and markets locals actually use, and leave you to it.
Real studio time
Throw and paint your own piece in a working studio; it is fired after you leave and shipped home. Master-artisan visits in Sanbao on request.
Private car, licensed guide
Your party only. English-speaking, licensed guide; door-to-door from Nanchang, or met off the train at Jingdezhen North.
Six places that explain a thousand years.
Imperial Kiln Museum & ruins
Six centuries of the emperor’s porcelain, excavated in place; the brick-vault museum is a modern landmark.
GuideChina Ceramics Museum
The national collection — Neolithic pottery to famille-rose — in one building. Closed Mondays.
GuideTaoxichuan
A 1950s porcelain factory turned creative district — kiln-side workshops, galleries and the evening makers’ market.
GuideTaoyangli old quarter
The kiln lanes around the imperial site — saggar walls, tea houses and the Longzhu Pavilion.
GuideSanbao Village
The valley of studios where a new generation of ceramicists works; master visits by arrangement.
GuideYaoli ancient town
An open-air kiln village in the hills an hour out — the easy Monday plan while the museums are closed.
GuideTrips that go to Jingdezhen.
A private day from Nanchang, or Jingdezhen as the porcelain chapter of a longer Jiangxi loop. Every trip is private and adjustable.
Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital.
Lakes, mountains & porcelain.
A grand Jiangxi loop.
Five days through Jiangxi’s scenery.
Qiandao Lake to the sacred peaks.
Close to Nanchang, closer than you think to Shanghai.
Getting there
- From Nanchang
- High-speed rail Nanchang West → Jingdezhen North, about 1 hour; or a 2.5-hour private drive that lets us stop at Yaoli on the way.
- From Shanghai / Hangzhou
- Direct high-speed trains to Jingdezhen North — roughly 3.5 hours from Shanghai Hongqiao, 2.5 from Hangzhou. Your guide meets you on the platform.
- From Hong Kong / Macau
- Fly into Nanchang Changbei (KHN) and continue by rail or car; we build Jingdezhen into most of our Hong Kong-gateway loops.
- Onward
- Wuyuan is 1.5 hours by road; Huangshan about 2. Jingdezhen makes a natural bridge between Jiangxi and Anhui.
When to go
- March–May and October–November are the comfortable months; summer is hot and humid, winter grey but quiet.
- Avoid Mondays for the museums — both the China Ceramics Museum and the Imperial Kiln Museum close. We schedule Yaoli or Sanbao instead.
- Friday to Sunday evenings are Taoxichuan’s makers’ market; if it matters to you, we plan around it.
- Chinese public holidays (early October, Spring Festival) fill the museums fast — book four weeks ahead.
Our Jingdezhen guides.
Jingdezhen: A Porcelain Pilgrimage
A thousand years of imperial kilns, and a living craft city you can still walk into. How to read Jingdezhen — its markets, museums, workshops and the studios where a new generation works the clay.
Read the guideTaoyangli & the Imperial Kiln
The old heart of Jingdezhen, where the imperial kilns fired for the court for six centuries. Excavated workshop ruins, a hilltop pavilion, lanes built from kiln brick — and the striking new museum raised over it all.
Read the guideInside the China Ceramics Museum
The largest ceramics museum in the country lays out ten thousand years of clay in one building — from Neolithic black pottery to imperial blue-and-white and the painted masterworks of modern Jingdezhen. How to read it, and when to beat the crowds.
Read the guideTaoxichuan: A Porcelain Factory Reborn
A 19 century porcelain factory turned into Jingdezhen’s beating creative heart — brick workshops and kiln chimneys now full of studios, galleries and cafes, and a weekend maker’s market where hundreds of young ceramic artists sell what they threw that week.
Read the guidePlanning a Jingdezhen tour.
How many days do I need in Jingdezhen?
One full day covers the Imperial Kiln Museum, the China Ceramics Museum, a studio session and Taoxichuan at dusk. Add a second day for Sanbao Village and Yaoli, or a master-artisan visit.
Can I do Jingdezhen as a day trip from Nanchang?
Yes — that is our most-booked Jingdezhen product: a private full day, about 11.5 hours door to door, daily except Mondays.
Do your guides speak English? Are there shopping stops?
Every guide is licensed and English-speaking (Cantonese and Mandarin on request). There are no commissioned shopping stops on any HeartEase tour.
Can I make porcelain myself and take it home?
Yes. You throw or paint in a working studio; the piece is glazed and fired after you leave and shipped to your home address, usually within four to six weeks.
What is the best way to get to Jingdezhen from Shanghai?
Direct high-speed rail to Jingdezhen North, about 3.5 hours. We meet you at the station; many guests combine it with Wuyuan and Huangshan on the way back.
Can Jingdezhen be combined with Wuyuan or Lushan?
Easily — Wuyuan is 1.5 hours away and Lushan about 2.5. Our 5-, 7- and 8-day Jiangxi loops all include Jingdezhen as the porcelain chapter.
Tell us your dates. We’ll draft the day.
A private itinerary and quotation within one working day — museums, studio time and transfers included.