Liling cashes in on its colorful past

If there is any rival to Jiangxi's Jingdezhen, which is known as the "porcelain capital" of China, it has to be Liling city, which has equally long history when it comes to making porcelain.

Liling, situated in eastern Hunan province, is sometimes referred to as a "state kiln" thanks to its reputation as a place where porcelain was made exclusively for the nation's top leaders including Chairman Mao Zedong, from the late 1950s to the 1980s.

Liling has thrived for many centuries on ceramics.