Longquan, a city in east China’s Zhejiang Province, is known for its celadon producing. Archaeological discoveries have shown that its celadon can be traced back to as early as the year 220 AD with simple household wares of teapots, bowls and plates.

"Island", an artwork of Longquan Celadon.

The golden age of Longquan celadon production came in at the Southern Song Dynasty in Chinese history between 960 AD and 1279 AD, and then production technology matured and mass production became feasible.

Since 2018, Longquan City has hosted the World Celadon Conference for five consecutive years, hoping to “revive” this classic culture.

Celadon Immersive Interactive Art Exhibition at the 5th World Celadon Conference.

In Longquan, craftsmen are making great efforts to make celadon a brand name of the city. 

Ji Dong, a millennial craftsman, said that traditional culture should be embodied with contemporary aesthetics. 

“If you use celadon cups for bubble tea or coffee, you may gain a different experience,” he said. 

Recently, the Lishui Vocational Technical College has established its Longquan Campuse to cultivate talents have been also set up for the celadon enterprises to promote their sales. And the city government has worked out relevant support policies for the promotion of celadon sectors. 

Longyao wood-fired teabowls, a kind of Longquan Celadon. 

At the end of 2021, the number of Longquan celadon enterprises increased to over 2,600 with some 20,000 employees and their combined annual business income reached 1.714 billion yuan.

Editor: Ye Ke, Fan Chenyu (Intern)