Jingdezhen

Jingdezhen (or the Town of Jingde), is a prefecture-level city, previously a town, in Jiangxi Province, China, with a total population of 1,554,000 (2007). It is known as the "Porcelain Capital" because it has been producing quality pottery for 1700 years. The city has a well-documented history that stretches back over 2000 years.

History
During the Han Dynasty, Jingdezhen's name was Xinpin. Historical records show that it was during time that it began to make porcelain. Xinpin then was renamed Changnanzhen (Changnan Town) during the Northern Song Dynasty. It took the era name of the emperor during whose reign its porcelain production first rose to fame. In 1004 CE, during the North Song Dynasty, Changnanzhen changed its name to Jingdezhen.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Jingdezhen was named one of four famous towns in Chinese history, along with Foshan (Guangdong Province), Hankou (Hubei Province) and Zhuxianzhen (Henan Province).

In the 19th century, Jingdezhen became a county. During the period of the People's Republic of China it became a provincial city but retained the Jingdezhen name. Usually when a town is upgraded to a city, the designation of "city" replaces that of "town", but Jingdezhen retained its name to honor its history. Jingdezhen was named one of top 24 national historical and cultural cities of the People's Republic of China on February 28, 1982. In 2004, Jingdezhen celebrated the millennium of its becoming the porcelain capital and its assuming its present name.

Geography and Climate
Jingdezhen is situated in the north-east of Jiangxi Province of China and neighbours Anhui; the city center area is located in the north-east of the Poyang Lake Plain. Its area is 5,256 km². The highest point is 1,618 metres, with plains on the southern part with an average height of 200 metres.

There are some cities and counties between Jiangxi and Anhui Province around Jingdezhen. To its north, northwest and northeast are Dongzhi, Xiuning and Qimen County of Anhui Province. To its south are Wannian County and Yiyang County. To its west is Boyang County. Lastly, to its southeast are Wuyuan County and Dexing County-level City of Jiangxi Province.

Jingdezhen's natural resources include kaolin, coal, manganese, and lime, but it is the kaolin that has made the city famous in China and the world. For over a millennium, its unique kaolin has enabled Jingdezhen to make high-quality porcelain. (The word "Kaolin" came from "Gaoling" or "Kaoling", a village located in Ehu Town, Fuliang County, Jingdezhen City.).

Jingdezhen has a subtropical monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons of a year. It is cool and comfortable in spring and autumn, very hot in summer with the extreme maximum temperature of above 40 degrees celsius, and very cold in winter with the extreme minimum temperature of below -5 degrees Celsius.

Porcelain
Jingdezhen's porcelain has been famous not only in China but in time it became known internationally for being "as thin as paper, as white as jade, as bright as a mirror, and as sound as a bell". The late Guo Moruo, a senior official who was also a famous historian and scholar of PRC wrote a poem that says (in translation): "China is well known in the world for its porcelain, and Jingdezhen is the most well-known centre, with the highest quality porcelain in China".

Most Jingdezhen porcelain is valued by collectors of antique porcelain throughout the world. According to media reports, a blue and white porcelain jar produced in Jingdezhen during the Yuan Dynasty was auctioned for the equivalent of RMB 230,000,000 yuan in London, UK in July 12, 2005. This was the highest price achieved by a piece of porcelain in the history of all porcelain auctions of the world. The reason for the high price is experts believe that the blue and white Yuan Dynasty porcelain has a dominant position in the history of Chinese ceramics. It represents the pinnacle of the development of Chinese blue and white porcelain.

During the Cultural Revolution, Jingdezhen produced a large number of porcelain badges and statues of a seated Mao Zedong.

Tourism and local custom
Huizhou architecture(Anhui Province) in Yaoli town,Fuliang county[edit] Travel Overview
Jingdezhen is a major tourism destination in northern Jiangxi Province. Most of the city's tourist attractions have a link to the ceramics for which it is famous. The city also provides access to nearby popular tourist areas such as Lushan, Huangshan, and Wuyuan.

In 2007, Jingdezhen City RMB3.027 billion yuan in revenues from tourism. Tourism accounted for 11.2% of local GDP, up from its share in 2006. The number of visitors is also rising year by year as the city's transportation links to the rest of China improve.

At present, Jingdezhen has the most tourist hotels of any city in Jiangxi Province. In the city there is one quasi-five-star hotel, two four-star hotels, and many three-star and other common grade hotels. Residents of rural Jingdezhen

Attractions
Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum
Jingdezhen Ceramic Historical Exhibition Area
Hutian Ancient Kiln Site
Porcelain Street
China Porcelain Garden
Yaoli Scenic Area
Lotus Pond