Bringing the past back to life

The cases in Jingdezhen's exhibition hall are full of delicate porcelain pieces, all apparently from ancient royal collections. Appearances are misleading, however, because every piece is of modern manufacture.

For their creator Huang Yunpeng, who has spent almost his entire life making porcelain in the city in Jiangxi province, the local industry's reputation is closely connected with his personal life.

Huang is regarded by many as the industry leader in the town known as "China's porcelain capital", because of his use of traditional manufacturing methods. He's a taciturn man, but when the media swarmed to the city, labeling it a "hub for forgeries", the 72-year-old suddenly found his voice. "It's very unfair to our industry," he said, pointing to several exquisite pieces of original porcelain in his studio. "How could visitors enjoy these beautiful exhibits without our efforts?"