With a history of craftsmanship spanning back over a millennium,

China's Jingdezhen is known as the "city of porcelain."

Its traditional arts are carried on to this day.

Recently, it has seen an increase in young people moving from other cities,

with their number said to exceed 30,000.

They're known as "Jingpiao," meaning "drifters to Jingdezhen."

Most are capable and sophisticated urbanites who have decided to learn pottery-making from scratch.

Through this pursuit, they attempt to discover a new way of life.

I liked art as a child, but my parents
complained that there was no future in it.

Pressure in the city was enormous.

It was so overpowering that I'd go cry
in the bathroom and then return to work.

Living in Jingdezhen has improved
my physical and mental health.

However, making a living through pottery is no easy task.

Oh no! It cracked!

It's a little ugly. I'm disappointed.

I've had 3 failures this month alone.

Maybe I won't be able to last here.

In this episode, we meet the young people of Jingdezhen who sculpt a new future out of pottery.

The city of Jingdezhen is located in the inland Jiangxi Province,

and has a population of around 1.6 million.

Nearly 20,000 ceramics manufacturers of various sizes can be found there,

with 30% of the population working in the industry.

Jingdezhen has long been one of China's top locations of ceramics manufacturing,

with roughly 360 million pieces produced yearly.

In recent years, courses teaching beginning pottery making have been made increasingly available.

Their target audience is young people who relocate from other cities.

The introductory course at this workshop is given over a span of between 10 and 30 days.

It teaches students how to shape the clay and decorate it,

apply glaze, and finally fire it in a kiln.

We'll be making cups today.
Start by shaping it into a cylinder.

Don't shave down the base too much.
Pull it upwards.

Press on it gently.
Little by little.

Let's try practicing that.

Tang Xinyi is a fresh Jingpiao, a "drifter to Jingdezhen."

She moved here from Shenzhen just a week ago.

How can I fix it when it warps?

Try putting pressure on it.

Don't push too hard,
just lightly as you turn it.

Gradually press on it.

In this class, they learn to use an electric potter's wheel.

It's a challenging task for the newly relocated Tang.

People with natural ability can get the
hang of it right away.

It seems like it'll take me some time,
so I'm feeling down about it.

She was raised by parents who work at companies in Shenzhen.

In 2022 she graduated from Shenzhen University with a major in finance,

and found work at a large accounting firm.

However, just a year later, she quit the job.

My work was simple and repetitive
with no creativity.

I was nothing more than a gear in the
system, and it all felt meaningless to me.

No matter how amateurish the pottery
I make here might be, it's my creation.

Although it came from the earth and
water, it belongs to me alone.

Around half of the people stay here,
and half leave.

They come from cities like Beijing
and Shanghai to find new ways of life.

But it isn't easy to make a living out of
pottery.

Those who fail have no choice but
to leave.

This multipurpose building is located in a suburban area of the city.

In it is a workshop run by graduates of the pottery classes.

To reduce costs, many new creators start out sharing workshops.

10 people share this unit, for which they each pay rent of about 40 US dollars per month.

Wang Lei is 26 years old, and moved to Jingdezhen 6 months ago.

He and his partner Huang Lingxin have been trying their hand at pottery making.

Not bad!

How about this one?

It looks pretty good.

The clay is nice.

Every year in Jingdezhen, a major new year's ceramics festival is held.

The pair have resolved to display their works in the event, which draws many famous sculptors.

Based on the theme of a feast, they're trying to create a dinnerware set with a feeling of warmth.

Although participation costs around $200, it provides an opportunity not just to raise one's profile,

but also to make money on pottery sales— an important chance for the Jingpiao.

The pre-heating seems to have gone well.

Next comes glazing.

The continuing rainy weather gives some concern.

Glaze needs to be applied very evenly.

The work requires attention to detail.

As Wang approaches participation in his first event, he has butterflies in his stomach.

Directly after glaze is applied, the pottery needs to be fired before dust can adhere to the work.

There's no time to waste.

Firing must be performed at a high temperature, for which he makes use of a rental kiln.

The industrial kiln charges fees per item fired,

from around 25 cents to 2 dollars, depending on size.

Wang is preparing 85 pieces for entry into the festival, for which he'll pay 35 dollars at the kiln.

Let's take a picture!

The firing at 1250 degrees Celsius takes a full day and night.

May the god of the kiln watch over us.

Wang and Huang currently live in an old house at the edge of the city.

The rent is 140 dollars a month.

To keep their cost of living down, they always cook their own meals.

Since they have yet to make their names as potters,

they haven't turned a profit, and are currently getting by off of savings.

Before moving to Jingdezhen, Wang had achieved stable employment.

After graduation, I was hired by a
government-owned company.

When I travelled to my family's home,
my grandmother was so excited.

In China, employees of government-owned
companies are held in high regard.

People expect them to be good in terms of
status, salary, and influence.

Having majored in civil engineering,

in 2020 Wang found work at a large construction company in Xi'an.

At the time, the construction rush was underway, so work was stable and the pay was generous.

However, Wang began to harbor doubts about the workplace.

I gave 120% to all of my work.

I tried my very best, aiming to become
a project manager.

But I realized that I never would.

A promotion at a government company is
more about connections than ability or effort.

Bureaucratism and formalism were rampant.

My work became all about kissing up to
our superiors.

Realizing he wouldn't have a fair chance at a government-owned enterprise,

last year he went against his parents' wishes and quit.

After travelling all around China, he eventually settled in Jingdezhen.

My parents look at pottery as simple play
with no potential for earning.

But to me, it's a meaningful way of life.

His partner, Huang, had worked as a visual designer for a major online business in Shanghai.

I had to be ready to respond to my boss's
demands 24 hour a day.

I got sick and began to break out in rashes.

It got so bad that I had to go to the hospital
for IV treatment in order to keep working.

Like Wang, she made the decision to quit her job a year ago.

The income was good, but the job
ate up every bit of my life.

It caused me physical and emotional trauma.

By making my own art in Jingdezhen,
I want to regain a feeling of sensibility.

It isn't luxurious work, just shaping clay
every day.

But I'm looking forward to making my
own original creation.

Christmas Eve arrives.

At the workshop Wang and Huang make use of, a party is held for Jingpiao.

A whole chicken!

They hold a random present exchange.

A stuffed animal! How cute!

For the young people gathering here, Jingdezhen signified an opportunity to resculpt their lives.

My health was worn down by my work,
and I grew depressed.

I want to get a new start in Jingdezhen.

I came here after a fight with my family.

This is a refuge for me that I'm really
thankful for.

I want to value my quality of life in Jingdezhen.

I found both friendship and love here.
I'd like to stay.

Cheers to friendship!

Novice sculptor Tang Xinyi is attempting a new challenge.

She's trying to shape a piece by hand, without the use of a potter's wheel.

I'm sculpting a piece I designed earlier.
It's my first work.

Essentially, it's a fusion of an apple tree
and a sheep.

Through classes and practice, I've learned
to deal with clay.

You can't try to control it entirely.
You'll end up being controlled by it instead.

Roaming in a world free of fatigue...

It's the lamb of freedom.

Tang has loved art ever since she was a child.

But her parents refused to let her study it at university, pushing her to pursue other subjects instead.

I didn't have the courage
to oppose my parents.

Now that I'm financially independent,
I can finally realize my ideals.

What may be happiness for other people
isn't necessarily my happiness.

What do you think happiness is for you?

To be the creator of my own life.

In one area of Jingdezhen, a workshop has been made within an old factory.

It's operated by Zhou Bin, another Jingpiao who attained success through pottery.

Before he moved here in 2021, he was the director of a popular television variety show.

The art lining the workshop includes not only his own, but also that of newer Jingpiao.

More than 100 young people display and
sell their work here with my support.

I've decorated with chairs and tables
that match the various pieces.

Zhou uploads videos of the works displayed there to social media,

introducing them to help find buyers.

When one sells, he receives 20% of the price.

Welcome! Let me show you our works.

This is a small sculpture that's been
newly made.

It costs $40.

This has a surface lined with tiny,
textured eyes.

It's very creative.

The artist put so much work into this.

Be careful handling it.

Zhou says that he enjoys his lifestyle in Jingdezhen.

Life in the city is hectic,
like eating fast food.

You hurry to fill your belly.

But life in Jingdezhen is classy.
It's like a leisurely, delicious meal.

Only 5 days remain until the festival.

Wang reclaims the pieces that he fired at the kiln.

Oh no! It cracked!

This one has air bubbles.

Days of work are washed away.

I carried them by bike in the rain,
so water might have seeped in.

Just a little moisture affects the outcome
this much.

You can't rush it.
It takes resolve to make pottery.

That night, Wang and Huang begin their preparations anew.

They decide to take colors and designs in a different direction.

With little time remaining, they can't afford another failure.

Meanwhile, a monthly auction is held at Zhou's workshop.

For both local creators and tourists looking to buy, it's an exciting event.

The pieces put up for auction tend to be the ones considered failures by the creators:

A sell-off of "unique" works.

They start at around 15 cents, and increase in small increments.

The auction is also streamed online, opening it up to buyers nationwide.

This is a totally original work
born by chance.

Creating the sea urchin's spines was a long
and complex process.

Number 26, $1.50.

- $12.00.
- Number 12, $12.00.

- $12.50.
- Number 25, $12.50.

Congratulations.
Sold to number 25 for $12.50!

Wang and Huang are also in attendance.

They offer up their disappointments from the earlier firing.

Number 13, $4.00.

- $4.50.
- Number 26, $4.50.

- $5.50!
- Number 18, $5.50.

Congratulations!
Thanks for your purchase.

Thank you.

The flawed works aren't thrown away,
but considered to hold a certain value.

All people have their own flaws.
Just as the works do.

People need to find an environment that
suits them and will treat them well.

I think that's where we belong.

Two more days until the New Year's festival.

Wang and Huang look over their latest attempts at firing.

The pink shade looks nice.

Like cherry blossoms.
Sakura!

The sakura series!

Their results are all they'd hoped for, with a color conveying gentle warmth.

The plates with new colors and designs are just as impressive.

This was what we were going for.
Soft, inviting plates.

They're great!

Perfect for the festival!

Meanwhile, Tang uncovers the results of her first fired work.

I feel like an anxious father waiting
outside the delivery room.

They aren't broken.

But what's with this color?

The spots were supposed to be red.

Why'd they turn black?

It's a little ugly. I'm disappointed.

Making pottery takes guts.

But it's given me a sense of emotional
stability.

My first work may look ugly, but since
I made it, it's precious to me.

I'm just glad that I could create
something in my own vision.

On December 29th, the New Year's Festival commences.

For its first holding since the pandemic, people have gathered from all over China.

Across more than 200 booths, both famous artists and Jingpiao will sell their wares for the 5 days.

Wang and Huang proudly show their new creations.

85 works fill the booth.

Wang's booth attracts significant attention.

There are some differences, but they're all
warm colors like pink and orange.

How much is this cup?

$40.

I'll take it.

I'll wrap it for you.

- What do you like about it?
- The color.

I'm glad I came across it.

Over the 5 days, they sold around $700 in pottery.

These past six months have been trial and error,
so I'm glad we achieved results.

It's nice to have some income.
I think there's earning potential.

We're looking forward to a bright future.

China's city of porcelain, Jingdezhen.

Every day, more young people arrive there bearing the wish to sculpt a new life with their own hands.