Sino-French collaboration wows in Chengdu

The discovery of the Qiong kiln attracted the local government's attention, so they renamed it Mingyue Kiln and began a recovery project.

A team of workers spent a year completing the restoration. After the work was done, they built art studios, exhibition halls and tea rooms around the kiln to cater to potters, artists and visitors.

With word spreading of the kiln, the local government invited more than 100 ceramic artists and cultural industry experts to the village to ply their trade and build a creative cluster characterized by ceramic arts and other craftsmanship in the past few years.

Locals also seized the opportunity with many setting up ceramics-related businesses and B&Bs to cater to an influx of visitors.

The previously poor village welcomed 230,000 visits in 2018, generating a total income of 108 million yuan ($15.26 million). The per capita disposable income of the residents hit 21,876 yuan that year.