The Moment Clay Becomes Porcelain... 500 Years of Artisan Hands at Cheongsong Pottery Village

From Artisans’ Workshops to Children’s Pottery Wheels
A Craft Festival Completed by the Hands of Visitors

On September 12, at the Cheongsong Baekja Pottery Village in Cheongsong County, North Gyeongsang Province, hands shaping clay crossed paths with the gazes of festival visitors observing the work of artisans.

Beyond Exhibits to Lifestyle Culture: Cheongsong Baekja Shows Potential as a Local Tourism Asset in Madang Nori

The “2026 Cheongsong Baekja Festival,” which opened on September 11, has focused on presenting Cheongsong Baekja, with its history spanning over 500 years, not just as a traditional craft piece behind glass, but as a part of everyday lifestyle culture that people can see, create, and use themselves. The festival runs through September 13.

One of the highlights of this year’s festival is the workshop space.

At the Cheongsong Baekja Heritage Center, “visible workshops” allow visitors to closely observe artisans crafting porcelain, with guided workshop tours also available. Rather than just viewing finished pieces, visitors can witness the transformation of clay into the shape of a vessel, thereby increasing accessibility to traditional crafts.

At the Cheongsong Baekja Experience Center, hands-on activities using the pottery wheel and hand-painting are offered. Families can participate in the process by handling the clay and painting their own porcelain pieces.

From the artisan's workshop to children's potter's wheels... A craft festival where visitors complete the works themselves
[Photo by Byeonggeon Kwon]

Games set up throughout the festival venue help bridge the gap for visitors who may feel daunted by porcelain art. Activities such as finger curling, moon jar cornhole, and stamp missions expand traditional crafts into experiences and play.

In the exhibition spaces, visitors can observe further changes in Cheongsong Baekja.

There are exhibitions ranging from a Cheongsong Baekja photo showcase, the works of the Cheongsong Baekja Research Society, to collaborative displays with contemporary artists. These efforts go beyond preserving traditional techniques, demonstrating how baekja porcelain can be reimagined and utilized in modern life and art.

Cheongsong Baekja is recognized as one of the four major regional kilns of the Joseon Dynasty, alongside Haeju Baekja, Hoeryeong Ceramics, and Yanggu Baekja. It is a local cultural asset created through the combination of raw materials from Cheongsong and the expertise of regional artisans, sustaining its legacy for over 500 years.

Juwangsan-myeon Play Group Madangnori

A notable aspect of this year’s festival is that its historic value is not limited to “preservation,” but is actively linked to hands-on experiences, performances, and consumption.

At the Cheongsong Baekja sales center, all porcelain products are being offered at a 20% discount throughout the festival, and customers receive local Cheongsong Love currency based on their purchase amount. A craft market and food zone are also in operation to ensure that experiences at the festival translate into local spending.

At 6:00 p.m. on September 12, the opening event will feature a calligraphy performance and live shows. Throughout the festival, visitors can also enjoy madanggeuk performances by traveling merchants, puppet shows, and street performances, all themed around the history and local stories of Cheongsong Baekja.

Before the opening ceremony, the Pungmul troupe from Juwangsan-myeon is announcing the festival.
[Photo by Byeonggeon Kwon]

This year’s festival was also selected for the “Miso (Smile) Festival” support project, initiated by North Gyeongsang Province to nurture competitive small-scale local festivals.

The significance of the festival cannot be fully captured by visitor numbers alone. Cheongsong Baekja faces the challenge of determining who will learn, who will appreciate, and how the longstanding craft skills of the region will connect with future generations as a living culture.

The strength of a 500-year-old tradition does not lie simply in its age. Cultural heritage becomes a region’s future asset only when artisans’ skills meet contemporary living, and when visitor experience and consumption follow. The Cheongsong Baekja Festival stands out as a site where porcelain is shifting from something solely to be preserved to something to be used and enjoyed together.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.