Why go
Yaoli sits in the mountains north of Jingdezhen where the Gao Ling (kaolin) clay beds were first mined in the Song dynasty. Porcelain made from it changed the world's ceramics, and the town that grew around the clay pits and the loading docks was Jingdezhen's industrial heart before the industry moved downstream.
The town itself is a compact riverside settlement of Ming and Qing houses with carved wooden facades, arched stone bridges and tea-drying yards. Because it is off the main tourism circuit, the lanes keep a genuinely rural character — laundry lines, vegetable gardens and kiln workers' descendants.
- The Gao Ling kaolin mine, the source of porcelain clay — and of the word itself
- Ming and Qing houses with carved timber frontages along the river
- The ancient Dongbu dock and the old kiln sites of the town
- Wanghu forest and mountain walks above the valley
Where to go
Walk the main street along the river, cross the ancient bridges, and visit the town's small kiln museum. Then take a car or bus to the Gao Ling mine and Dongbu dock, the old loading point where the clay started its journey. The Wanghu forest above the town is a quiet half-day walk.
Practical notes
Yaoli is best as a day trip from Jingdezhen — the kiln-city itself, with its markets and workshop streets, is where you buy ceramics; here you see where they came from. Local dishes lean on river fish and bamboo shoots, with a strong, dark tea grown on the hillsides.
Getting there
- Bus or taxi from Jingdezhen, ~1h into the hills
- Claim
- Birthplace of kaolin clay
- Style
- Ming/Qing timber houses
- From Jingdezhen
- ~1h
