Welcome to 'Shanghai's Little Jingdezhen', an Artists' Paradise

In a small village in Shanghai's suburban Jiading District, ceramic ponies in charming poses greet visitors at nearly every turn. This place is called Mamen Village, literally meaning "Horse Gate Village."

Once a quiet community where elderly residents made up the majority of the population, Mamen Village is rapidly gaining recognition as "Shanghai's Little Jingdezhen" (Jingdezhen in southeastern Jiangxi Province is known as China's porcelain capital) – a flourishing center for ceramic arts and creative craftsmanship that is drawing artists and visitors alike.

Today, it is home to more than 20 art studios and over 40 artists who have established their creative practices within its peaceful, nature-rich surroundings.

The village has managed to preserve its natural landscapes while building a vibrant creative community. Driven by a determination to attract younger visitors and continue developing, numerous improvements have been made over the past year.

New directional signs now mark the roadways, and ceramic pony figures welcome guests at doorways throughout the village, all while maintaining its original, down-to-earth character.

The Ceramic Arts Education Center serves as the village's foundation. Established as the first creative hub here, it laid the groundwork for what has become a "pottery paradise." The center is comprehensively equipped with pottery wheels, clay processing machines, and slab rollers, providing space for children's pottery training sessions and professional artist exchanges.

Walking from the village entrance toward a popular bakery, visitors pass private studios belonging to the resident artists, most of which are closed on Mondays. Interested visitors can simply walk in to experience the creative process firsthand.

Beyond ceramics, some studios offer velvet flower crafting, kiln-formed glass, woodworking, and botanical dyeing – a diverse range of artistic disciplines. Each studio reflects the artist's personal aesthetic, with some spaces serving as miniature exhibition galleries as well.

The village's wildly popular bakery has developed a devoted following. Its breads undergo low-temperature cold fermentation and are baked in a kiln oven using freshly sourced lychee wood fires each day. The daily menu changes constantly, offering both savory and sweet options, with fresh loaves often selling out by around 2pm.

Reportedly the first shop in Mamen Village, the MM Cafe stands amidst small farmland plots. The space is filled with ceramics from resident artists, with the display theme rotating approximately monthly. Limited-edition beverages are also available.

The shop embraces a more outdoor-oriented style, where visitors can relax in the sunshine and watch butterflies flutter across the fields. Yet stepping inside the cafe reveals an entirely different atmosphere. During autumn, hay bales will appear at the entrance, inviting visitors to climb up and embrace the sky.

Currently, development has concentrated on the village's eastern side, where most well-known shops cluster together. Beyond the bakery and the cafe, there is also a craft beer house. The entire walkable portion of the village can be covered in approximately two hours.