Jingdezhen has produced Chinese imperial porcelain for over a thousand years and remains a working ceramics city — kilns, workshops, and the Ceramics Museum sit alongside galleries selling contemporary studio pottery. The surrounding Jiangxi countryside is seldom visited: Wuyuan's whitewashed Huizhou villages are among the most photographed rural scenes in China, and Lushan, the mountain retreat beloved by republican-era politicians, offers cooler air and a different kind of quiet.

Day by day

Day 1 · nanchang

Arrive Nanchang — gateway city

Nanchang is the main transport hub for this circuit. Tengwang Pavilion on the Gan River is the city's signature sight — rebuilt multiple times, the current structure is faithful to Song-dynasty descriptions. The provincial museum has a good collection of Yuan blue-and-white porcelain that provides context for Jingdezhen.

Attractions: tengwang-pavilion

Day 2 · jingdezhen

Travel to Jingdezhen — kiln district and museum

Bus or rail from Nanchang to Jingdezhen: approximately 2.5 hours. Afternoon in the Ancient Kiln Folk Scenic Area (Guyao Minyao), where traditional wood-firing kilns still operate. The Ceramics Museum (Ceramics History Museum) houses production wares from Song through Qing. Evening: Taoxi River ceramics market, where studio potters sell direct.

Attractions: jingdezhen-kiln-museum

Day 3 · jingdezhen

Jingdezhen — studio visits and hands-on workshops

Jingdezhen's Pottery Workshop quarter (Sanbao International Ceramic Village is 15 km south by taxi) offers day courses in throwing and painting. Several studios around the Sculpture Factory welcome walk-in visitors. Afternoon at the Imperial Kiln Site, excavated since the 1980s and now partly open as an archaeological park.

Day 4 · wuyuan

Wuyuan village circuit

Bus from Jingdezhen to Wuyuan town: approximately 2 hours. The classic circuit takes in Sixi-Yanxi, Likeng, and Wangkou — whitewashed walls, grey-tile roofs, and carved wooden doorframes from the Huizhou tradition. Rape flowers bloom in March–April; foliage colour in November. Stay overnight in a Wuyuan guesthouse for an early morning walk.

Attractions: wuyuan-villages

Day 5 · lushan-city

Lushan Mountain, then return

Bus from Wuyuan via Jiujiang to Lushan: roughly 2.5 hours total. Lushan's Guling village is the hilltop settlement where Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Zedong, and various Communist Party leaders retreated in summer — the villas and the 1959 conference site are open to visitors. The mountain paths and waterfall trails require comfortable shoes and 2–3 hours. Descend to Jiujiang or Nanchang for onward connections.

Attractions: lushan-mountain, jiujiang-east-lin-temple

Ceramics workshop fees vary CNY 150–400 per session; Wuyuan village admission passes around CNY 120.

Backpacker	¥280
Mid-range	¥700
Comfortable	¥1700

Porcelain trail: Jingdezhen, Wuyuan, and Lushan in 5 days