MICHAEL May, a ceramic artist from Oklahoma City, found himself in the bustling ceramics market of Jingde­zhen. On a sweltering summer night, he was engaged in a lively negotiation with a young woman over the price of a blue-and-white porcelain tea tray he had crafted.

Eventually, they agreed on a price of 488 yuan (US$69), which was nearly half of May’s original asking price. “Eight is a lucky number in China,” the young woman said, her face lighting up with satisfaction. May chuckled in return. For him, this market experience was less about profit and more about connecting with the local community and gathering their feedback.

After studying porcelain making in the United States, Japan and South Korea, the American ar­rived in Jingdezhen last year, eager to establish himself as a ceramic artist in this historic city.

“In the history books, we always learn about Jingdezhen. It’s one of the oldest and most famous places for porcelain production,” May remarked. “It’s the mecca of the world.”

Mecca of the ceramic world

Jingdezhen’s rich history and enduring legacy in ceramics have attracted international artists, like May, to the city.

Located in east China’s Jiangxi Province, Jingdezhen is endowed with abundant natural resources, including kaolin and porcelain stone. These materials have been crucial in creating the high-quality translucent white wares that have made Jingdezhen famous.

From the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to the pres­ent day, porcelain produced in Jingdezhen has been highly sought after in both domestic and international markets. It was an important com­modity along the maritime Silk Road. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, an estimated 300 million pieces were exported to Europe, with countless others distributed across East and Southeast Asia.

In Europe, porcelain was referred to as “white gold.” In the 18th century, King Augustus the Strong of Poland and Saxony famously traded a battalion of 600 dragoon soldiers for 18 blue-and-white porcelain vases from Jingdezhen.

At King Augustus’ court, scientists and alche­mists worked to uncover the precise ratios of kaolin and porcelain clay. Their efforts ultimately led to the establishment of Europe’s own porce­lain production in Meissen, as noted by British potter and writer Edmund de Waal in his book “The White Road: Journey into an Obsession.”

Even though the secrets of porcelain-making are no longer exclusive to Jingdezhen, the city continues to lure artists from around the globe.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, Jing­dezhen is home to 150,000 practitioners in the porcelain industry, which represents nearly 25 percent of the city’s urban population. Current­ly, there are over 60,000 “Jing Piao,” or migrant workers in Jingdezhen, including craftsmen, art school students and entrepreneurs from both domestic and international backgrounds.

In this city, one can find the most extensive collection of glaze colors in the world. Tucked away in the alleys are small workshops staffed by master craftsmen, who are skilled in every facet of porcelain production, from molding to slip casting to firing.

Soon after he arrived in Jingdezhen, May found himself amazed by the artisans’ expertise. “So many masters are here,” he remarked. “They’re so skilled that what would take me two or three days, they can do in just five minutes.”

Even in the market, May realized that many tourists were actually master artisans them­selves. “So many people have feedback on things like the functions of my lid or the size and shape. I’m going to take all that feedback and use it to further develop my designs,” he stated.

‘This place turns mud into gold’

In April last year, May joined the residency program at the Jingdezhen International Studio. Established in 2015, the studio invites artists to create porcelain works, providing free work­space and accommodations.

The studio, located on Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue, is surrounded by creative spaces, museums, and lively weekend markets. Its mission is to encourage collaboration among diverse talent while engaging the public in the artists’ creative processes, as explained by Ryan Mitchell, an American ceramic artist and the studio’s founding artistic director.

Ryan LaBar was one of the first resident artists at the studio in 2015. Following his residency, he established his own studio in Jingdezhen, where he currently lives with his girlfriend, their dog named “International,” and their cat named “Kaolin.”

A native of Montana, LaBar received the prestigious Virginia A Groot Foundation award in 2015. The American told Shanghai Daily about his motivations for moving to Jingdezhen: the river sounds, the rhythmic hammering of stone into clay, the kilns’ con­stant breath, and the centuries-old porcelain craftsmanship.

“This place turns mud into gold, into ob­jects, into whatever your mind can come up with,” he said. “There’s nowhere else in the world where porcelain has been valued throughout time.”

LaBar turns functional ceramics into abstract art by combining Jingdezhen mate­rials with avant-garde techniques. He took a while to get used to the local clay, which is quick to dry and wet and cracks easily. Once mastered, these traits give porcelain strength and translucency when fired. “I’m attracted to that,” said LaBar.

For hands-on artists like LaBar, innovation is the norm. Mitchell’s unconventional wet sculpting method encourages free-form cre­ativity in pottery. Like “ink wash paintings,” his work blends Chinese natural expression with Western thought.

May makes pieces with his own 3D printer.

Jingdezhen is a boon for artistic creation even for those who don’t work with clay, sus­tained by the city’s complete industrial chain. British scholar Joseph Needham once called it “the world’s earliest industrial city.”

Fruit-themed pieces

French artist and curator Jeremie Thircuir designed fruit-themed pieces for his exhibi­tion. He asked Master Li Chunqi to mold a ginger he bought in Shanghai. After Master Li made the mold, Master Du Chuanjin would assist him in casting and firing it. Thircuir called both masters Jingdezhen’s best.

This complex labor distribution in Jing­dezhen began in the Song Dynasty and matured in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In his 17th-century work “Tiangong Kaiwu,” or “The Exploitation of the Works of Nature,” Song Yingxing described the city’s ceramic industrial system: “The making of a single piece of porcelain requires the effort of 72 processes.”

These 72 processes cover everything from mining, mold making, and firing to packing the porcelain for shipment.

According to British artist and writer de Waal, task division allowed standardization, which helped produce global orders.

It promotes Jingdezhen as a hub for prod­uct and artistic innovation. LaBar said, “Jingdezhen has that potential.”

Mitchell founded the Jingdezhen Interna­tional Studio nine years ago, hoping that foreign artists interacting with local artisans and the public would help the city grow.

As local and global porcelain demand grows and more people move to the city, in­terest in other crafts and traditional culture has soared.

The city is evolving from a ceramics in­dustry center to a cultural innovation hub for ceramics, culture, and tourism as more money and visitors flow in.

The international studio on Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue exemplifies this change. The area has become a cultural and tourist hub with galleries, stores, restaurants, and artist studios after being a dilapidated por­celain factory.

According to Xinhua, Jingdezhen received over 60 million visitors last year, marking a 10.3 percent increase from the previous year. Inbound tourism surged, with a year-on-year increase of 103 percent.

However, the preservation of traditional craftsmanship is one concern, as younger generations show less interest in it. Master Li and Master Du, prominent local artisans, have expressed concerns about this trend.

Many of the students of the Jingdezhen Ceramic University also lack the necessary knowledge of craftsmanship. “When they come to me for their graduation projects, I have to guide them on how to make changes in their designs; otherwise, their pieces won’t be able to withstand the firing process,” said Master Du.

The cost of living is another concern. For years, Jingdezhen’s lower expenses allowed artists to pursue their creative passions with­out financial strain, but prices are rising.

LaBar told Shanghai Daily that he and other artists hope rent can remain affordable so the city continues to attract creatives.

Mitchell sees the increase in living expens­es as a natural result of Jingdezhen becoming an international tourist destination. Having made the city his home with his wife and child, he feels fortunate to live there at a time when “the world is focused on China.” But as a resident, he wants to see more investment in hospitals, childcare and kids’ sports pro­grams to meet community needs.

May, the new residency artist, said that because of the favorable US dollar-Chinese yuan exchange rate, he finds Jingdezhen’s cost of living manageable. Compared with the steep rises in America, the city’s recent price increases seem less overwhelming.

His work has already attracted interest from buyers, including a lady who was mull­ing placing an order for her store in Shenzhen — a positive sign for his plan in China.

“

In the history books, we always learn about Jingdezhen. It’s one of the oldest and most famous places for porcelain production, it’s the mecca of the world.

Michael May

A ceramic artist from Oklahoma City