Jingdezhen has been making porcelain for over a thousand years, and for most of that time it supplied emperors. The town lies on the Chang river in northern Jiangxi, and its name comes from the Jingde era of the Song dynasty, in the early eleventh century, when the court ordered porcelain from its kilns for the first time. From the Yuan dynasty on, the town made the blue-and-white wares that became world famous, and during the Ming and Qing the imperial kilns here produced porcelain for the court, while merchants shipped export wares to Europe and the Middle East.
The secret was local materials. Kaolin, the fine white clay that gives porcelain its strength and translucency, was mined from the hills around the village of Gaoling, and the word kaolin itself comes from the name Gaoling, travelling into European languages in the eighteenth century. With abundant pine wood for fuel and the river for transport, the town grew into a huge industrial centre, with kilns burning day and night, and in the nineteenth century a visitor described the glow from hundreds of kilns lighting the sky.
Today the old kiln sites and workshops give you a feel for that heritage, and the town still produces porcelain, with studios, markets and a thriving community of young ceramic artists. You can watch craftsmen throw, paint and glaze, and buy pieces at every price from tourist souvenirs to fine art. The surrounding countryside is green and hilly, with tea fields and forests.
Roads in this part of Jiangxi are usually good, with moderate traffic, and the ride across the hills is pleasant. Summers are hot and humid, and spring brings rain, so autumn is best. Pack your purchases carefully, since porcelain and panniers are an uneasy pair, and check the licensing rules for foreign motorcyclists in China before you plan.