Following Jimmy to Explore China — A Visit to Yanshen Ancient Town

Recently, the crew of the international cultural program 《Following Jimmy to Explore China》 visited Yanshen Ancient Town in Boshan for a special filming session. Focusing their lenses on Boshan, renowned as the "Contemporary National Kiln," they explored the thousand-year heritage of ceramics and colored glaze, vividly presenting the unique charm of Qilu intangible cultural heritage crafts to overseas audiences.

Yanshen Ancient Town is a national 4A-level cultural tourism scenic area and one of the birthplaces of the Zibo Kiln. The town's name originates from the ancient legend of Yan Wenjiang, a filial daughter, and carries a profound cultural legacy of filial piety. Built upon the restoration of 13 ancient round kilns dating back a thousand years, large clusters of Ming and Qing dynasty dwellings, and the industrial remains of old ceramic factories, the town weaves together a complete historical thread—from the thriving kiln markets of the Northern Song Dynasty, through the flourishing ceramics and colored glaze industries of the Ming and Qing dynasties, to the development of modern national industry. Today, the park gathers 31 intangible cultural heritage projects related to ceramics and colored glaze at various levels, with over 20 representative inheritors and master craftsmen establishing studios here. Ancient kiln relics, heritage workshops, and art galleries are distributed side by side, achieving the living transmission of traditional craftsmanship and making the town a landmark cultural tourism destination that combines historical depth with artistic innovation.

Through the lens, clusters of ancient workshops are laid out along the town's streets and alleys, with wisps of smoke curling around old houses. The unbroken kiln fire sketches a rustic tableau unique to this thousand-year ceramic town. The filming fully documents the complete traditional processes of wheel-throwing and shaping, kiln firing, and glass blowing. Between the craftsmen's fingertips, ancient techniques passed down through generations come alive on screen. Atmospheric shots of old kiln sites and artisans bent over their work alternate throughout, quietly narrating the cross-millennial heritage of the "Contemporary National Kiln."

During the filming, Jimmy paused before various ceramic and colored glaze works, admiring them closely, and remarked with heartfelt emotion: "Deep in Zibo's bones lies a craftsman's furnace that has burned for a thousand years." He expressed that Boshan is truly a capital of ceramics and the home of Chinese colored glaze—where ceramics warm the years and colored glaze dazzles the moments, embodying a borderless artistic beauty that strikes the heart.

Boshan's ceramics and colored glaze culture has broken through the static display limitations of traditional intangible cultural heritage, becoming a living cultural root that can be touched, experienced, and continuously innovated—serving as an excellent bridge for cultural exchange between China and the world.