00:05In Jindosheng, known as China's porcelain capital, located in Jiangxi Province, southeast of Beijing,
00:13Jindosheng's pottery-making history spans more than 2,000 years. It began during the Han dynasty,
00:20and his porcelain's eyes were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2026. More details in the
00:27following story. Chinese porcelain artist Chen Qing's family has practiced the craft since around
00:331860. For centuries, artisans in Jingdezhen produced porcelain for China's imperial court. After the
00:40imperial kiln system came to an end following the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912, many of its
00:45techniques were carried on by private workshops and artisan families. Most of Jingdezhen's finest
00:50families had painters from families with long traditions in the craft, and it is very difficult
00:54for an outsider to master. First, few people are willing to spend more than 10 years learning
00:58such a painstaking craft. Second, these techniques are family secrets and are not readily taught to
01:03outsiders. Painting a porcelain piece can take days to complete. A single particle of dust or sweat
01:11could ruin the piece and require her to start from scratch. For Chen, however, such painstaking work is
01:16not a performance stage for visitors. For centuries, ceramics have been closely intertwined with life
01:24in our city. This is what we do every day. We don't just pick up a brush and start painting,
01:28or sit down
01:29at the wheel and shape clay because someone has come to visit or take pictures. We do this every day.
01:34To me,
01:34it's simply a natural part of life. Jingdezhen's Imperial Kiln Institute researches and restores ceramics
01:42excavated from an adjacent complex, where pieces for emperors were crafted in kilns whose remains
01:47are still visible today. Using modern equipment, researchers analyze porcelain fragments, systematically
01:54recording information about their materials, colors, and production techniques. For Institute's
02:00President Wang Yanjun, recovering knowledge from the past is not only about preserving history.
02:06Jean Shaolin came to Jingdezhen from the countryside at the age of 16 to learn pottery throwing.
02:12After decades of study and practice, he developed his own approach based on traditional techniques.
02:17His methods overcome some of the limitations of conventional throwing and give artists greater
02:21freedom to shape their work. We use modern technology, modern equipment to do analysis, to analyze,
02:28to collect, to achieve information. And furthermore, with this information, how to make our today's life better.
02:37Jean Shaolin came to Jingdezhen from the countryside at the age of 16 to learn pottery throwing.
02:43After decades of study and practice, he developed his own approach based on traditional techniques.
02:49His methods overcome some of the limitations of conventional throwing and give artists greater
02:54freedom to shape their work. Today, I understand it as referring to the wonderful young people
03:02and artists who come to this city, bringing with them their creative ideas, ways of thinking, perspectives,
03:09and insights. In their own ways, they transform ceramics into an art form of endless variety,
03:16with a hundred flowers blooming.
03:22Today, John has nearly 200 apprentices. His studio also welcomes more than 30,000
03:28vocational college students each year as part of their social practice programs.
03:32While passing on traditional techniques, John also encourages his students and apprentices to experiment and innovate.
03:45Paola Masi is an Italian ceramic artist participating in a residency program.
03:51The very, very, very big study of form on the wheel was thanks to the inspirational song.
04:01Especially, that's very dear to her. So for me, it's like going to the very roots of where this starts.
04:11Chinese artist Huang Chi graduated from Jingdezhen Ceramic University in 2015 and left the city to work elsewhere.
04:18She eventually decided to come back and is also now an artist in residence.
04:25People who come to Jingdezhen may drift here for a while,
04:29but eventually they can put down roots and create. It is a place where dreams begin.
04:37Now, universities and artist residency programs are bringing a new generation of Chinese and
04:42international practitioners to Jingdezhen, where they draw on traditional techniques to express their
04:47own creative ideas.
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