Sep 22, 2026 · 17 min · 8 segments
*Today, we’ll talk about how UNESCO has honored the world’s first porcelain-centered industrial heritage site—keeping the traditional flame alive and allowing it to continue firing new stories for the…
Scott PruittHost
In late July, UNESCO added Jingdezhen's porcelain industry sites to the World Heritage List during its annual committee meeting in Busan, South Korea, bringing China's total World Heritage sites to 61.
The inclusion marks China's first nomination of an industrial heritage site for World Heritage status, and the world's first World Heritage site centered on porcelain.
Located in East China's Jiangxi Province, Jingdezhen is renowned for a porcelain-making tradition more than 1,700 years old.
Abundant deposits of porcelain clay, combined with a well-developed water transport network, helped turn the city into the world's leading center of porcelain production.
Spread across Jingdezhen's hilly terrain, the complex preserves a complete, handcrafted porcelain production system that flourished from the 10th to the 19th centuries.
Porcelain made in Jingdezhen traveled along the Silk Road to destinations around the world, literal vessels for cultural and commercial exchange between East and West.
According to the World Heritage Committee, the sites demonstrate the development of Chinese ceramics, artistic traditions, and the porcelain industry.
It reflects the influence of China's traditional porcelain handicrafts on ceramic production worldwide, as well as global exchanges and mutual learning.
The complex comprises 45 individual sites covering 1,979 hectares, including the town's production center, kilns, quarries, firewood forests, and transport networks.
Archaeological excavations at sites in the town's center tell the evolution of the Imperial Kiln Factory, which made pieces exclusively for China's royal family from the late 14th century to the early 20th century.
They also trace the development of privately operated kilns that served the broader market from the 12th century to today.
Luo Ma Chao site preserves kiln technologies, including gourd kilns and eggshell kilns, each named after their characteristic shape, which enabled better temperature regulation and shorter firing times.
Along with surviving modern circular kilns, they illustrate the history of kiln development.
In late July, UNESCO added Jingdezhen's porcelain industry sites to the World Heritage List during its annual committee meeting in Busan, South Korea, bringing China's total World Heritage sites to 61.
The inclusion marks China's first nomination of an industrial heritage site for World Heritage status, and the world's first World Heritage site centered on porcelain.
Located in East China's Jiangxi Province, Jingdezhen is renowned for a porcelain-making tradition more than 1,700 years old.
Abundant deposits of porcelain clay, combined with a well-developed water transport network, helped turn the city into the world's leading center of porcelain production.
Spread across Jingdezhen's hilly terrain, the complex preserves a complete, handcrafted porcelain production system that flourished from the 10th to the 19th centuries.
Porcelain made in Jingdezhen traveled along the Silk Road to destinations around the world, literal vessels for cultural and commercial exchange between East and West.
According to the World Heritage Committee, the sites demonstrate the development of Chinese ceramics, artistic traditions, and the porcelain industry.
It reflects the influence of China's traditional porcelain handicrafts on ceramic production worldwide, as well as global exchanges and mutual learning.
The complex comprises 45 individual sites covering 1,979 hectares, including the town's production center, kilns, quarries, firewood forests, and transport networks.
Archaeological excavations at sites in the town's center tell the evolution of the Imperial Kiln Factory, which made pieces exclusively for China's royal family from the late 14th century to the early 20th century.
They also trace the development of privately operated kilns that served the broader market from the 12th century to today.
Luo Ma Chao site preserves kiln technologies, including gourd kilns and eggshell kilns, each named after their characteristic shape, which enabled better temperature regulation and shorter firing times.
Along with surviving modern circular kilns, they illustrate the history of kiln development.
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