New direction fires up China's porcelain capital

Ceramics were the backbone of Jingdezhen for centuries, until a downturn sent profits plummeting. Now, the city is cashing in on its illustrious history. Cao Kai, Shen Yang and Wu Zhonghao report for Xinhua.

For centuries, the most coveted Chinese porcelain came from Jingdezhen's workshops, fashioned from clay made smooth by trained hands, fired in kilns and then transported across the globe.

Once, these pieces, notably blueand-white vases and jade-green celadon bowls, graced the British, Persian and French courts. Jingdezhen porcelain was one of China's first globalized commodities and its greatest export.