The brick vaults
Shaped like kilns.
Zhu Pei — CC BY-SA 4.0 · EditQ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · EditQ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · EditQ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 4.0 · EditQ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zhangzhugang — CC BY-SA 4.0
In the heart of Jingdezhen, «the Porcelain Capital» that has made Chinese porcelain for more than a thousand years, lies the site of the Imperial Kiln, set up in 1369 under the Ming, which for over four hundred years made porcelain for the Ming and Qing courts: the longest-running, largest and finest of the official kilns, and a national protected monument since 2006. The kiln burned in 1855, was rebuilt in 1866 and stopped firing in the early Republic; digs between 1982 and 2004 uncovered Ming kilns and more than ten tonnes of porcelain shards, and the site is now a national archaeological park. Beside it stands the museum designed by the architect Zhu Pei and opened in 2020, made of eight curved brick vaults that echo the shape of traditional wood-fired kilns, about a fifth of their bricks taken from old kilns; it displays imperial porcelain masterpieces and pieces reassembled from the shards. Entry is free with booking on the «Changyou Jingdezhen» mini program, Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 10 pm with last entry at 9.30 pm, closed on Mondays except public holidays, per visitor guides.
Shaped like kilns.
Of the Ming and Qing.
Excavated Ming kilns.
Imperial Kiln site, Zhushan District, central Jingdezhen
Yes, the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday until 10 pm with last entry at 9.30 pm, and entry is free with booking, per visitor guides.
Jiangxi cooking uses a lot of pork, so look for beef noodle shops run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign, or ask about ingredients before ordering.