Dehua, a county in the mountains of Fujian province, in south-eastern China, has been making porcelain for over a thousand years. Its white porcelain, known in the West as blanc de Chine, is famous for its pure, creamy white colour and its fine figures, especially statues of Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, and other Buddhist and Taoist figures. The ancient kiln sites of Dehua, including long dragon kilns built on hillsides, are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China, inscribed in 2021.
In the Song and Yuan dynasties, Quanzhou was one of the greatest ports in the world, and Dehua porcelain was exported from there across Asia, to the Middle East and later to Europe, where it was highly prized. The kilns used the clay from the surrounding mountains, and the dragon kilns, long tunnels climbing the slopes, could fire thousands of pieces at once. Today Dehua is still a centre of porcelain production, with many workshops and factories, and a ceramics museum displays the history of the craft.
Riding in China as a foreigner is complicated. Foreign driving licences are not recognised, and riding a motorcycle requires a Chinese licence and permits, often arranged through specialised tour companies. Many cities restrict motorcycles. The roads in Fujian are generally good, with expressways, though motorcycles are not allowed on them, and national roads that wind through the mountains, with tea plantations, forests and villages. The climate is subtropical, with hot, humid summers and mild winters, and typhoons can strike in summer and autumn.
Dehua town has fuel, shops and restaurants, and Quanzhou, the main city of the region, is about two hours south-east. The Fujian tulou, the round earthen houses of the Hakka people, are another World Heritage Site in the province. Fujian food is light and subtle, with soups, seafood and tea, especially oolong tea from Anxi, a neighbouring county. Visiting a porcelain workshop in Dehua, watching the artisans shape the white clay, is a fascinating experience.