Jingdezhen (景德镇) is the porcelain city of Jiangxi Province. On 25 July 2026 the Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, China’s 61st World Heritage site. In town you can see the imperial kiln site and its museum, old wood-fired kilns still in use, a museum of 20,000 ceramics, and a factory district turned into studios and an evening market. Avoid Mondays, when the two main museums close. Stay one night, or two if you want to make a piece yourself.
What did UNESCO list in 2026?
The listing is not one monument. UNESCO describes a serial property that shows how handicraft porcelain was produced from the 10th to the 19th century: where the raw materials were dug and how they were moved, how kilns were improved, and how production was organised on an immense scale. It has five parts: the porcelain production centre in the town, with the Imperial Kiln beside civilian kilns, guilds and merchant associations; the Hutian kiln site; the Gaoling kaolin mine; the Changling porcelain-stone mine; and the Jiaotan area that supplied kiln fuel. Xinhua counts 45 heritage points in all, and notes that the word kaolin comes from Gaoling village. It is the first time China has nominated an industrial heritage.
What to see in town, and what it costs
| Sight | What it is | Cost and hours |
|---|---|---|
| Taoyangli and the Imperial Kiln site | The old-town quarter that grew around the Ming and Qing imperial kiln factory. Wares that failed inspection were smashed and buried here; the site is now an archaeological park with kiln and workshop remains, lanes of kiln-brick houses, and a wood-fired kiln that is still lit from time to time | Tickets listed from RMB 53; 08:30–22:00, last entry 21:30 |
| Imperial Kiln Museum | Brick vaults built in the shape of kilns, beside the imperial kiln site. Many exhibits were pieced together from sherds dug up there, including a large Ming blue-and-white dragon jar | Advance booking; Tuesday–Sunday 09:00–22:00, last entry 21:30; closed Mondays except public holidays |
| Ancient Kiln Folk Customs Museum | A park of old kilns from the Song to the Qing dynasty, including a dragon kiln, a gourd-shaped kiln and the egg-shaped Qing kiln, with workshops where craftsmen throw and paint, and free performances on instruments made of porcelain | RMB 95, from RMB 85 on booking platforms; 08:00–17:30, last entry 16:30 |
| China Ceramics Museum | Founded in 1954 as China’s first large museum of ceramics. More than 20,000 pieces, from Neolithic pottery to Song qingbai ware, Yuan blue-and-white and the Ming and Qing colours | Free with advance booking; Tuesday–Sunday 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:30; closed Mondays |
| Taoxichuan | A former porcelain factory rebuilt as a creative quarter: brick halls, chimneys, galleries and studios, and an evening market where young potters sell their own work | Free; open all day |
Tickets and practical notes
- Do not make Monday your only day. The Imperial Kiln Museum and the China Ceramics Museum both close on Mondays.
- Both museums take advance bookings. Check before you travel whether the booking form accepts a passport number, or ask us to check it for your date.
- How the Imperial Kiln Museum is ticketed together with the Taoyangli quarter has changed more than once. Read the ticket description on the day you book.
- Ancient Kiln concessions listed: children up to 1.2 m free; students under 24 and ages 60–64 discounted; 65 and over free.
- You can pay to throw or paint a piece in a workshop. Firing takes days, so ask before you start how the finished piece will reach you.
- Go to Taoxichuan late in the afternoon and stay into the evening, when the market stalls open and the brick halls are lit.
Getting there
- Jingdezhen North is the high-speed station, on the Nanchang–Jingdezhen–Huangshan line that opened on 27 December 2023. Xinhua reported a fastest time of 49 minutes from Nanchang East when the line opened.
- The same line continues to Yixian East and Huangshan North, so Jingdezhen pairs naturally with Huangshan and Hongcun. Check 12306 for trains on your date.
- The sights are spread across the city, not in one walkable centre. Plan on taxis or a car between Taoyangli in the old town, the Ancient Kiln, the China Ceramics Museum and Taoxichuan.
How many days in Jingdezhen
- One full day: Taoyangli and the Imperial Kiln Museum in the morning, the Ancient Kiln after lunch, Taoxichuan in the evening.
- A second day adds the China Ceramics Museum and a workshop session where you make something.
- With a third day, go out to the countryside: the tea and village scenery of Wuyuan is the usual next stop.
Jingdezhen questions
Where is Jingdezhen?
In the north-east of Jiangxi Province in eastern China, on the high-speed railway between Nanchang and Huangshan.
Is Jingdezhen a UNESCO World Heritage site?
Yes. The Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites were inscribed on 25 July 2026 at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, as China’s 61st World Heritage site.
What is Jingdezhen known for?
Porcelain. The kilns here supplied the Ming and Qing courts, and UNESCO describes the town as a centre of innovation in porcelain production from the 10th to the 19th century.
How many days do I need in Jingdezhen?
One full day for the imperial kiln quarter, the Ancient Kiln and Taoxichuan. Two if you want the ceramics museum and time in a workshop.
Which day should I avoid?
Monday. The Imperial Kiln Museum and the China Ceramics Museum are both closed, except on public holidays for the former.
Are Jingdezhen’s museums free?
The China Ceramics Museum is free with advance booking. The Ancient Kiln Folk Customs Museum costs RMB 95, and tickets for the Taoyangli quarter are listed from RMB 53.
Can I make my own porcelain in Jingdezhen?
Yes. Workshops offer paid sessions for throwing or painting. Firing takes days, so agree first how the piece will be collected or sent.
Sources(8)
- Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites (World Heritage List, inscribed 2026)UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Jingdezhen’s World Heritage inscription (25 July 2026)Xinhua News Agency
- Jingdezhen sights: listed prices on 10 October 2026Trip.com Group (Ctrip)
- Taoyangli listing: the imperial kiln quarter and hoursTrip.com Group (Ctrip)
- Imperial Kiln Museum listing: building, exhibits and hoursTrip.com Group (Ctrip)
- Ancient Kiln Folk Customs Museum listing: kilns, hours and concessionsTrip.com Group (Ctrip)
- China Ceramics Museum listing: collection and hoursTrip.com Group (Ctrip)
- Nanchang–Jingdezhen–Huangshan high-speed railway opens (27 December 2023)Xinhua News Agency