Day 1
About 6 hoursArrival, an introduction to wood firing, first practice on the wheel.
Seven-day pottery retreat · China
Wood firing in Jingdezhen, where porcelain began
November 2026 · Jingdezhen ← All retreats
- Dates
- November 2026
- Where
- JingdezhenJiangxi, China · the birthplace of porcelain
- Teacher
- Qian · Clay Garden Studio
- Language
- Chinese, translated into English
- Contribution
- €1,400 single room · €1,300 per person in a double · 7 nights, meals and materials included
Seven-day pottery retreat · China
Seven days in the hills outside Jingdezhen, the city where porcelain began: throwing and hand-building with three clays, blue-and-white Qinghua painting, and a wood kiln you help to load and fire with pinewood.
Qian, who runs Clay Garden Studio in Prenzlauer Berg, takes a small group to a studio in the countryside around Jingdezhen. An experienced local potter teaches in Chinese; Qian translates into English, works alongside you and helps beginners find their footing.
No experience is needed, and practised potters will find plenty to take further. The studio is open day and night for your own work, the meals are home-cooked with local and Western dishes, and the group stays small: eight to twelve people.
Seven days
Day 2
About 6 hoursA visit to a large wood-fired kiln in town; throwing and hand-building.
Day 3
About 6 hoursTrimming, and time for your own project.
Day 4
About 6 hoursQinghua blue-and-white painting; loading the bisque kiln.
Day 5
About 6 hoursOpening the bisque kiln; loading the wood kiln.
Day 6
About 6 hoursFiring day: stoking the kiln with pinewood.
Day 7
About 6 hoursOpening the kiln, finishing touches, check-out.
What’s included
- 01Seven days of pottery classes, about six hours a day
- 02The studio open around the clock for your own work
- 03Three clays, porcelain and stoneware among them, and all the tools
- 04Building and firing a wood kiln, hands-on
- 05Seven nights in a single or double room
- 06Three home-cooked meals a day, local and Western
- 07A spacious studio with a view of the mountains
The studio
A spacious studio in the countryside around Jingdezhen, wheels in a row under a wide window onto the trees, single and double rooms, and a wood kiln the group loads and fires together beneath the mountain.
Good to know
Not included
Flights and travel insurance (strongly recommended), the transfer to the retreat (airport pickup €15 per trip), optional outings to museums, factories and the ceramics market, and your visa — many nationalities can enter China visa-free for 30 days.
Included, and sent ahead
Classes, clay, tools and firing; seven nights’ accommodation and three meals a day. A month before you travel you receive a preparation guide with apps and travel tips, and a short survey on transport and diet.
Join the retreat
Tell us how many of you would like to come and anything you would like to know. We come back to you with all the details, and confirm your place when you are ready.
Request information