Historic kilns fire up memories

In the old days, children in Jingdezhen, East China's Jiangxi province, had their own novel way to keep themselves warm during the chilly winters. They took a warm brick from a firing kiln and put it in their schoolbags.

They don't need warm bricks in cold seasons of the year now, but kiln bricks are still used for building houses in Jingdezhen, known as the "home of porcelain" in China and even across the world. Brick kilns have to be demolished every two or three years to ensure they maintain a certain heat output, according to local ceramists.

The Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum, designed by the Beijing-based Studio Zhu-Pei, incorporates both newly fired and recycled bricks amassed from the dismantled furnaces. Located in the center of the city's historical area, the museum is adjacent to the imperial kiln ruins surrounded by many ancient kiln complexes.

Recycled kiln bricks still provoke warm memories among the local residents.

"The ancient kilns in Jingdezhen have never stopped firing for more than 1,000 years. And the whole craftsmanship for hand-making porcelain has been maintained, which makes the city what it is today," says Wang Tongmao, deputy secretary-general of the city government.

Along with the old lanes and houses, the ancient kilns are the links the city has with its past.