Kiln it — porcelain hub pulls foreign artists

At the center of Canadian artist Philip Read's studio in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, sits a porcelain plate he treasures above all other pieces. Across its illustrated surface, a river is depicted running through the city and dividing it into two distinct worlds. On the upper side is a modern version of Jingdezhen, marked by the familiar corporate logos of KFC and McDonald's. On the other lies a quieter landscape of tiled roofs, small bridges, fields and water — slower, calmer, and somehow still able to hold its own against the rush of contemporary life.

For Read, the plate is more than a favorite work. It is the city itself.

"It is both modern and international, but if you look a little further, Jingdezhen is still calm, still able to make you focus," he said. "That is part of its charm."

That sense of duality — of a city that feels open to the world without losing the texture of its own life — helps explain why Jingdezhen has become an increasingly magnetic place for artists, designers and travelers from abroad.

Known for over 1,000 years as China's porcelain capital, the city was named a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art in 2014. In recent years, it has drawn growing international attention through artist residencies, exhibitions, creative markets and cultural exchange platforms.