【Porcelain Capital｜Taoxichuan: The Story of Jingdezhen】

Within the fabric of Jingdezhen, the millennium-old Porcelain Capital, Taoxichuan stands as a shard tempered by kiln fire, bearing the weight of industrial heritage while exuding the vitality of contemporary art. It epitomizes Jingdezhen's transformation from a "porcelain factory era" to a "city of creativity," and serves as a utopia for young "Jingpiao" artists pursuing their dreams. Here's a multi-faceted look at the story of Taoxichuan: --- ### I. From Industrial Ruins to Artistic Landmark: History and Rebirth Taoxichuan's predecessor was the state-owned Universal Porcelain Factory. This factory, which once made significant contributions to China's export earnings, declined during the market economy boom. In 2013, the Jingdezhen government, through an "urban renewal" strategy, transformed old factory buildings, chimneys, and other industrial relics into a cultural and creative park. Using "deep red brick" as the architectural base, it preserves historical symbols (such as towering chimneys and sawtooth factory buildings) while incorporating modern design elements. Today, Taoxichuan has become a cultural and tourism landmark integrating ceramic culture, art exhibitions, creative markets, dining, and homestays, and has been awarded the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. --- ### II. A "Porcelain Utopia" for Young Creative Entrepreneurs: Art and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Taoxichuan's core charm lies in its youth entrepreneurship ecosystem: - **Yi Space Entrepreneurship Incubation Base**: The creative market, held every Friday to Sunday, gathers over 500 stalls. Stallholders are mostly art school graduates or "Jingpiao" youth. The threshold for original design is extremely high, and products cover ceramics, lacquerware, glass art, etc., rejecting homogenization. As of 2024, it has incubated over 2,800 entities, attracting 21,000 young people to start businesses and find employment. - **International "Jingpiao" Community**: Artists and designers from over 50 countries have settled here, forming a creative environment with diverse cultural exchanges. For example, Yang Dezheng, a young man from Tianjin, founded an original porcelain brand here after graduation, realizing his entrepreneurial dream through Taoxichuan's "low-cost stalls + technical guidance" model. - **Industry-Academia-Research Collaboration**: Taoxichuan has collaborated with academies such as the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the China Academy of Art to hold over 80 exhibitions. It has also established live streaming bases and smart workshops to promote the digital transformation of the ceramics industry. --- ### III. Night Economy and New Cultural Tourism Paradigm: The Fusion of Vibrancy and Artistic Flair Taoxichuan's nights are a showcase of "living culture": - **Night Markets and the Aesthetics of Light and Shadow**: Under basic lighting, stallholders decorate their stalls with their own lights. Visitors stroll amidst porcelain and the aroma of coffee, experiencing the dynamic and serene beauty of the Orient. During the 2024 Lunar New Year holiday, Jingdezhen, where Taoxichuan is located, received 4.31 million tourists, generating 3.5 billion yuan in tourism revenue. - **Nighttime Consumption Scenarios**: Taoxichuan offers "ten nights" of experiences, including "night tours, night exhibitions, night shopping, and night stays." Examples include photo opportunities at the Imperial Kiln Museum during the "Blue Hour," industrial-style accommodation at the Taoxichuan Hyatt Centric hotel, and live music and porcelain chicken cuisine at the "Daqi Kiln." - **Cultural IP Empowerment**: Through events like the "Spring and Autumn Grand Market" and "Taoran Market," Taoxichuan combines intangible cultural heritage crafts (such as blue and white porcelain and famille rose) with "Guochao" (Chinese-chic) consumption trends. For instance, the "Spring Bowl" co-branded with the 2025 Spring Festival Gala ignited the cultural and creative market. --- ### IV. Global Vision: From "Porcelain Capital" to "Window of World Culture" Jingdezhen, with Taoxichuan as its fulcrum, is promoting ceramic culture globally: - **"Dual Zone Linkage" Strategy**: Jingdezhen has partnered with the Xiamen Free Trade Zone to establish an "Overseas Development Base for Ceramic Culture." Leveraging China-Europe Railway Express and cross-border e-commerce (such as the 9810 overseas warehouse model), it expands international markets, exceeding 5 billion yuan in transaction volume in 2024. - **International Art Dialogue**: Hosting global events such as the "Venice Biennale Preview Exhibition," Jingdezhen showcases Song and Yuan Dynasty celadon and modern innovative works to the world, strengthening the cultural symbolism of "China." --- ### V. Challenges and the Future: Safeguarding the Essence of the "Porcelain Capital" Despite Taoxichuan's flourishing development, recent incidents of tourist phone theft have sounded an alarm for city governance. Local authorities swiftly dismantled the roaming criminal gangs and plan to establish a regular security mechanism to ensure the safety of "Jingpiao" residents and tourists. Party Secretary Hu Xuemei emphasized the need to transform cultural tourism from "check-in style" to in-depth experiences through the "City of a Thousand Museums" brand (integrating nearly a thousand museums and intangible cultural heritage venues) and new business models like the low-altitude economy. --- **Conclusion** The story of Taoxichuan is a poetic rebirth of clay and fire, a symphony of history and future. It is not only Jingdezhen's "porcelain business card" to the world but also a vivid example of the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional Chinese culture. As one "Jingpiao" artist put it: "Here, porcelain is no longer a cold object, but a vessel carrying dreams."