In Germany, ceramic artists often finish a piece themselves. In Jingdezhen, German artist Christiane found craftsmen for almost every step, from mixing clay to preparing glaze. She called the city a treasure box. "Here," she said, she can "find everything needed."
At times, as many as 5,000 foreign creators have lived and worked in this Jiangxi porcelain city. Locals call them Yang Jingpiao, foreign Jingdezhen drifters. Many arrive for a short stay. A complete chain of workshops and kilns is what makes them remain.
French artist Yann Colleu first came in 2017 for a three-month academic exchange. Drawn by an open ceramic community, he returned for a doctorate at Jingdezhen Ceramic University. Since 2024 he has lived in the city with his family. His two-year-old son is already beginning to understand some of the local dialect.
"I felt that I had entered a city where ceramic history was still being practiced," Colleu said. Unlike a museum, where the past sits behind glass, Jingdezhen showed him heritage that is still being made and passed on. "People help and respect each other, exchange techniques, and continuously push one another to improve."
Jingdezhen has been shaped by porcelain for more than a thousand years. In 2026 its ceramic heritage was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
One evening at the Taoxichuan Art Center, resident artists from Bulgaria, Turkey, Russia, and Germany were at work. Fu Changmin, a master of Jingdezhen porcelain painting, said the Yang Jingpiao community now numbers in the thousands. They come to his studio to watch him paint and to talk about composition. "This kind of face-to-face exchange is more convincing than any brochure," he told the Global Times.
The city's specialized industry is the practical reason they can stay. Artists can focus on their ideas and still find professional help for the technical steps that bring a work to life. Taoxichuan's Migratory Bird Program has invited art institutions from more than 50 countries. Local figures say more than 4,300 visiting artists have come. Some stay briefly. Others, like Colleu, put down roots.
"Perhaps this is what I value most about Jingdezhen," Colleu said. "It has preserved its heritage while allowing people like me to become part of its continuing story."