Last Day in Porcelain Land: Villages, Wharves, and One
Last Day in Porcelain Land: Villages, Wharves, and One Last Bowl of Noodles I had booked a full-day car service through MeetPanda for the final day — 400 RMB for a driver and the car, no guide this time. The plan was to visit Yaoli Ancient Town and Dongbu Wharf, then return to Jingdezhen in time for my evening train. The driver arrived at 8am sharp. The road out of Jingdezhen passed through tea plantations and bamboo groves before climbing into the hills. We arrived in Yaoli about 90 minutes later. Yaoli is quiet. The river runs through the middle. Old white-and-gray buildings crowd against the water. Stone bridges link the two sides. No entrance fee. No loudspeakers. Just the sound of water and birds. I walked along the river path to the far end of town. Watched a woman washing vegetables in the current. Watched an old man mending a fishing net on his porch. The whole place moves at a slower speed than anywhere I’d been in China. I sat on a stone step for a while and just looked at the water. The driver suggested a short detour to Dongbu Wharf, about 10 minutes outside Yaoli. This was the main port for shipping kaolin clay out of the mountains. The old stone dock is still there.