5000 yuan family road trip to Jingdezhen! We turned the "Porcelain Capital" into a fairy tale world

Can you believe it? A family of three drove from Shijiazhuang at -3°C straight into the 20°C spring scenery of Jiangnan. The child made his first little bowl in a pottery workshop, my wife took 1,089 photos by the ancient kiln, and I— sat at the entrance of a bluestone alley drinking tea, watching them smile, and suddenly felt: this trip was worth it! This Jingdezhen trip lasted three days and two nights, costing a total of 4,960 yuan, staying within budget, and enjoying a sophisticated "slow travel" experience. Today, I’m sharing this super practical, heartfelt, family-friendly self-driving guide. 🚗 Itinerary overview: Shijiazhuang → Jingdezhen (about 900 km) Day 1: Depart at 7 AM, passing Handan and Wuhan, arrive in Jingdezhen by evening, stay at a guesthouse near Taoxichuan Day 2: Full day pottery immersion—Ancient Kiln Folk Expo Area + pottery experience class + night tour of Taoxichuan cultural and creative market Day 3: China Ceramic Museum + shopping at the sculpture porcelain factory + return trip in the afternoon 💡 Expense details (for a family of three) | Item | Cost | |------|------| | Fuel + tolls (round trip) | 1080 yuan | | Guesthouse (two nights, near Taoxichuan) | 860 yuan | | Food (three meals + snacks) | 1200 yuan | | Attraction tickets + pottery class | 1420 yuan | | Souvenirs + handmade firing fees | 400 yuan | | Total | 4960 yuan | — That’s right, less than 1700 yuan per person, even cheaper than joining a tour! 🏺 Day 1: Heading south, from the northern winter into the spring dream of the Porcelain Capital At 6:30 AM, my son was bundled into the car in his dinosaur sleeping bag: “Dad, are we going to find the ‘glowing bowl’?” I smiled: “Not just a bowl, it’s a whole city that tells stories.” We stopped three times at service areas along the way. It rained lightly in Wuhan, and inside the car, "Blue and White Porcelain" played. My wife hummed along, and my son drew his vision of the "Porcelain Kingdom" in the back seat. At 7 PM, we finally saw the four big characters "Millennium Porcelain Capital." The guesthouse owner, a local potter, gave each of us a hand-molded little tea pet and said, “Bring your child to my studio tomorrow for a free wheel-throwing experience.” That night, the child slept especially soundly. I knew it wasn’t because he was tired, but because he was excited. 🎨 Day 2: Making a bowl by hand is more precious than buying ten souvenirs In the ancient kiln, the child touched the brick wall of the Qing dynasty Zhen kiln and asked, “Dad, has the fire been burning inside for hundreds of years?” The tour guide smiled: “What’s burning is the craft, what’s passed on is the heart.” The most amazing part was the pottery experience class. My wife made a crooked cup and wrote “Mom’s flavor” on it; My son made a little piggy bank and insisted on keeping it for when he gets married; And I clumsily pulled out a teacup—so crooked it looked like it had been stepped on, but I couldn’t bear to throw it away. The teacher said, “The beauty of porcelain is not in perfection, but in the warmth of the ‘person.’” My eyes welled up. As night fell, Taoxichuan lit up. Red lanterns hung from the eaves of old factory buildings, young people set up stalls selling handmade cups and plates, and my child clutched 20 yuan to buy a small underglaze plate, holding it like a treasure all the way. 🏛️ Day 3: The beauty of China in the museum made my child cry We spent a full four hours at the China Ceramic Museum. From Song dynasty Yingqing to Yuan dynasty blue and white, from Ming dynasty wucai to Qing dynasty famille rose... My child suddenly pointed at a broken Yuan blue and white vase and said, “Does it want to go home too?” At that moment, I knelt down and hugged him. It turns out the power of beauty really can transcend age. In the afternoon, we set off back to Shijiazhuang, with light rain falling on the highway. The child in the back seat was asleep, still clutching the little bowl he made. My wife whispered, “Next time, let’s bring our parents along.” --- Final thoughts This trip was not just about sightseeing, but a healing “slow down.” We escaped the anxiety of tutoring classes, check-in groups, and parent groups, and between clay and fire, found the simplest happiness— A family together, making something by hand, walking slowly for a while, and then realizing: the so-called poetry and distant places are actually in the light in each other’s eyes. **If you’re tired too, why not bring your family to Jingdezhen, knead some clay, and fire a heart.**