=Our Trip
Next stop Jingdezhen, China where high quality porcelain and pottery are manufactured and sold. We were told this is a fun shopping experience that we shouldn't miss while we lived in China and Jingdezhen is in the province Sophie was born so I was excited to see the area.
We only stayed one night (2 days) and I think that was plenty of time to get the goods. So, my two girlfriends and I checked into the Jingdezhen Hotel in downtown Jingdezhen, close to shopping etc. The hotel was certainly not the nicest place we’ve stayed while in China, but given our options, the best in town I think. And, for only $44.00 per night which included breakfast, how could we complain, we there there to shop not sleep!.
I would definitely recommend bringing your own wine although, I’m not sure the hotel restaurant appreciated ours. The food at the hotel was not good, the beds uncomfortable, and finding a good glass of wine in the small town of Jingdezhen is not going to happen so I was glad we had thought ahead. At least they had western toilets (always a good sign).Fun Facts & Tips
Jingdezhen also known as Porcelian City, has been in the business of making porcelain for the last 1700 years. The quality of the porcelain varies but honestly, I’ve never seen so much of it in one city. Procelain is everywhere, on the street corners, in malls, in farmers backyards, everywhere!
Jingdezhen is small city of only 1.49 million people.
I doubt families would enjoy it here. It’s not about food, or recreational activities, certainly not beaches, it’s all about shopping for porcelain at really good prices. I think it’s a perfect “girls trip” and 2 days is plenty of time.
If you're like me and like to sleep on things before you buy, don't feel bad if you need to make a couple trips to Jingdezhen. I was really glad I went back.
Also, I found it interesting when I thought I'd found an amazing piece that was super original and lovely only to turn it over and see the Pier One stamp on the bottom. Needless to say I put it right back.
Very few additional photos.
Welcome to Jingdezhen, China
Marie Hanna, Lena Dixit and me shopping in Jingdezhen.
In order to make the most of our trip, we sent our driver, Mr. Lin in the van (only 7 hour drive) ahead of us so he could meet us at the Jingdezhen airport. He picked us up and we had him for the whole 2 days to follow us around and take our purchases for us. This worked out great as we didn't have to pay for shipping the goods back to Shanghai. When the van was full he headed back to Shanghai and we flew back that night.
Jingdezhen is 100% Chinese so I was glad I had been taking mandarin lessons as we really needed them there. We only met one person in Jingdezhen that spoke English and his name was Peter. He worked at our hotel and was a pleasure to deal with. If you ever get there, make sure to ask for him. It was a really fun trip, no one came home with food poisoning, we all mastered the squatty potty, and also, believe it or not Scott and the kids managed just fine.