Jingdezhen never races against time; Hyatt Centric lets me slow down

This summer, while many people headed to the seaside or mountains to escape the heat, I chose Jingdezhen, Jiangxi—a city standing tall on the map of Chinese culture, known as the millennium-old porcelain capital. My destination was a palace-level hotel blending artistic atmosphere with modern design—the Taoxichuan Hotel (a Hyatt Centric brand). "A hotel that holds the temperament of half a city" The flagship Hyatt Centric (UBC) in Central China is located opposite the Taoxichuan Cultural and Creative District, integrating the essence of Jingdezhen’s ceramic culture with contemporary architectural language. The hotel lobby is unlike a traditional reception area; it feels more like an art gallery: the interplay of natural wood and clay, the harmony of natural stone and warm lighting, instantly letting you shed the dust of travel and enter a world centered on "beauty" and "tranquility." Check-in was quick, but I wasn’t in a hurry to open my luggage—the hotel itself deserved my entire afternoon to experience. Looking out from the guest room window, the outline of Taoxichuan softened in the sunset glow, and every piece of furniture and every lamp inside was as warm and subtle as pottery. It felt as if the entire building was a language carrier for Jingdezhen’s dialogue with the world. "Taoxichuan at night, like the city’s breath" In the evening, I walked to the Taoxichuan Creative Plaza across the street. This cultural and creative park was transformed from an old porcelain factory, preserving the industrial heritage framework while infusing the soul of young designers. The Friday market is the soul moment here—vendors display handmade ceramic wares, from celadon with subtle waves to wood-fired tea cups. Even a casual stroll lets you feel the unique slow pace and warmth of this small city. On the street, I casually entered a local restaurant. The strong aroma of Jiangxi cuisine hit me—spicy and fresh, reflecting the city’s equally passionate yet unpretentious character. Returning to the hotel at night, I happened to learn about the turndown service. After requesting it with a slight sense of ceremony, the room’s lighting became soft, everything was tidy, and a bowl of warm red bean porridge was placed by the bed—ushering in a beautiful dream. "A dual dialogue with body and taste buds" The next morning, sunlight poured into the room. I didn’t rush out but took an iced Americano and headed to the gym to sweat it out. After exercising, I dove into the pool, where the water temperature perfectly countered the summer heat. After washing off the sweat, I went to the restaurant to enjoy a hearty breakfast: freshly cooked Jiangxi rice noodles, handmade buns, freshly squeezed juice, and quiet faces all around—as if everyone understood this was not a place to rush through, but a time to slow down. Dinner was the real highlight. The hotel’s buffet dinner lineup could rival a small food festival: the fresh coolness of coconut juice, four types of hot pot broth, the fragrant king crab ready to be shelled, the ocean saltiness of oysters, the exotic aroma of Southeast Asian spices, and the fiery, sticky local crayfish. Not to mention the sweet and slightly intoxicating finish of several scoops of ice cream paired with a glass of wine. "This is not just a stay, but an experience of a lifestyle" I often say a good hotel is not just the building itself, but whether it participates in your reimagining of life. Taoxichuan Hyatt Centric achieves this: it is not merely a standardized place to stay but a curator of cultural experience. Here, you can find the boundaries of art and, through a turndown service, rediscover the meaning of "home." Jingdezhen is a city that values "vessels," and this hotel itself is a "vessel"—holding me, a traveler from afar, holding the slowly flowing time of this summer, and holding a certain belief in a beautiful life.