Creatives find their muse in small town culture

Jingdezhen's ceramic craftsmanship history dates back over 2,000 years. Located in East China's Jiangxi province, its historical role as an official and imperial kiln propelled the art of porcelain making to unprecedented heights. Dubbed the capital of porcelain, Jingdezhen has become a popular destination for young potters and people seeking to suspend their busy and overstressed urban life.

"Jingdezhen is a unique and simple place where everyone is treated equally, and no one is judged based on their possessions or status," said Liu.

Like Liu, more than 30,000 people known as Jingpiao or "Jingdezhen drifters" have migrated to the city from across China, according to data from the local authorities in 2022.

For escapees of the urban grind, porcelain has become a lifestyle: slow, deliberate artistry to offset the abstraction, alienation, and pressures of modern life.

Huang Lizi set up her ceramic studio in Jingdezhen after graduating in 2022.

"I feel like I'm living another kind of life compared to urban people. Life here is slow but cute, as living costs are relatively low," she said.

But as a craft woman who has to earn a living by making ceramics, she has also been through some difficulties.