Twin “Lin’an”: A cultural dialogue across thousands of miles

Left: Chaoyang Tower in Jianshui; Right: Yijin City Ruins Museum in Hangzhou Lin’an.

In China, there are two ancient cities bearing the same name—Lin'an in Jianshui, Yunnan, and Lin'an in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Separated by thousands of miles, they share a single name and each unfolds its unique aesthetic of daily life.

The Art of Earth and Fire

  

Jianshui Purple Pottery and the Jianshui Purple Pottery Museum

The Lin’an in Jianshui, Yunnnan, is a cradle of purple pottery along the Red River.

Made from local red clay and blended in subtle hues, Jianshui purple pottery is polished without glaze, its carved and inlaid patterns carrying a quiet, rustic warmth. At the Jianshui Purple Pottery Museum, over 60,000 characters of documentation and more than 260 exhibits tell stories of craftsmanship passed down through generations of intangible cultural heritage inheritors.

 

Tianmu Tea Bowl in Lin’an (Hangzhou)

The Lin’an in Zhejiang features celadon beneath Mount Tianmu.

Known as a cradle of Zen and tea culture, this region produces Tianmu ware—bowls with simple forms and deep, lustrous glazes, embodying both Eastern aesthetics and Zen spirit. Today, artisans continue to preserve traditional techniques while bringing new life to this ancient craft.

One records the history of the borderlands with purple pottery, while the other reflects the elegance of the Song Dynasty with tea bowls. Divided by mountains and rivers, artisans from both places dedicate themselves to the same pursuit: turning earth into poetry.

The Warmth of Pots and Bowls

 

Steamed Chicken, Jianshui

Jianshui Lin’an: the comfort of the steam pot.Steamed without a drop of added water, qiguo chicken draws its rich broth from rising steam, a taste deeply rooted in local life. The soup must be clear, the flavor pure—carrying a philosophy that values simplicity and authenticity.

 

Tianmu Hot Pot, Lin’an (Hangzhou)

Zhejiang Lin’an: the simmering aroma of the warm pot.Here, the nuanguo centers on freshness. Free-range chicken is slow-cooked with mountain delicacies over a wood fire, yielding a broth that blends the crispness of the wild with the warmth of home.

One savors richness, the other delights in freshness. One steams life gently over fire; the other simmers the mountain ingredients into a single pot.

The Legacy of Ritual and Learning

 

“Zhusi Yuan Yuan” Archway at the Jianshui Confucian Temple

Jianshui Lin’an: echoes of ritual and music in an ancient town.

The Confucian Temple, the Zhu Family Garden, and Chaoyang Tower bear witness to the blending of Han culture and frontier traditions. Every brick and tile speaks of a heritage rooted in scholarship and civility.

 

Statue of King Qian at the entrance to Lin’an (Hangzhou)

Zhejiang Lin’an: the living roots of Wuyue culture.The Qian Family Instructions, passed down for centuries, embody a tradition of valuing learning, family discipline, and moral cultivation. In the homeland of the Qian kings, an enduring wisdom of family and nation quietly persists.

One preserves the grace of cultivated tradition; the other carries forward a sense of family and country. One honors the sages within the city; the other remembers its ancestors at home.

The Growth of Old and New

 

Left: Jianshui Ant Workshop; Right: Qingshan Lake Sci-Tech City, Lin’an (Hangzhou)

Jianshui Lin’an: a youthful nostalgia.Young people are returning to the ancient town, bringing fresh ideas into purple pottery workshops and revitalizing intangible heritage for modern life.

Zhejiang Lin’an: an ancient place renewed.By the shores of Qingshan Lake, a rising tech hub brings together cultural heritage and digital vitality, giving new life to old traditions.

One renews itself quietly through preservation; the other looks back even as it moves forward.

Two Lin’an citys—one by the Red River, the other west of West Lake—through ceramics, cuisine, and everyday life,compose a cultural dialogue across a thousand miles.

Source: YICC Honghe branch