League of Legends × Jingdezhen
News 2026-08-17 31
Porcelain Chromas Bring a Thousand Years of Ceramic Art to the Rift
When the visual world of League of Legends meets Jingdezhen’s centuries-old kiln tradition, gaming, cultural heritage, and youth culture come together in an exciting new collaboration.
The project was created by League of Legends in partnership with Jingdezhen’s cultural and tourism authorities, Jingdezhen Ceramic University, the local World Heritage application office, and other organizations. Following the successful addition of the Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites to the UNESCO World Heritage List, the collaboration introduces traditional techniques—including blue-and-white porcelain, Qingbai Linglong porcelain, underglaze copper red, susancai, and wucai—to younger audiences through in-game content, stop-motion animation, exhibitions, and cultural preservation programs.
The collaboration has two main parts: the Porcelain Chroma project for the PC version of League of Legends and the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum collaboration for League of Legends: Wild Rift.
The League of Legends Porcelain Chroma Exhibition in Jingdezhen
The Porcelain Chroma Art Exhibition was held at the entrance hall of the Taoxichuan Cultural and Creative District in Jingdezhen from August 13 to 16, 2026. The exhibition was open daily from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., with a porcelain-themed fan market held from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on August 15 and 16.
Please note that this in-person exhibition has now ended and is no longer open to visitors.
Centered on the League of Legends Porcelain skin line, the exhibition combined character design with traditional Jingdezhen ceramic craftsmanship. A circular wall of porcelain vases, blue-and-white light installations, champion cosplay appearances, and cultural heritage quizzes created an immersive environment in which players could explore Chinese porcelain culture.
Visitors could also collect stamps, view original exhibits, participate in interactive activities, and redeem limited-edition merchandise. The accompanying fan market featured blue-and-white porcelain crafts and game-inspired creations, bringing virtual characters into a real-world Jingdezhen setting.
Battle of a Thousand Porcelain Vessels: A Stop-Motion Film Made with 1,061 Vases
One of the most remarkable parts of the collaboration is Battle of a Thousand Porcelain Vessels, a stop-motion animation created with real ceramic objects.
Unlike conventional digital animation, the production team worked with faculty members and students from Jingdezhen Ceramic University to handcraft and fire 1,061 porcelain vases. The vessels were then photographed frame by frame to produce the final film. Each vase serves not only as a single frame in the animation but also as a physical ceramic work shaped, decorated, glazed, and fired by hand. The official League of Legends website describes it as “an animation filmed with 1,061 porcelain vases.” Watch Battle of a Thousand Porcelain Vessels on the official League of Legends website.
This production method creates a genuine connection between traditional ceramic craftsmanship and modern visual storytelling. Porcelain is not simply used as a decorative texture in the animation; it becomes the physical medium that drives the movement of every scene.
Natural variations in glaze color, hand-painted details, and the rhythm created by rows of porcelain vases give the film a visual character that would be difficult to reproduce digitally.
The original vases used in the animation were also displayed at the exhibition, allowing visitors to move from the finished film back to its physical materials and examine the craftsmanship of Jingdezhen porcelain up close.
Four Porcelain Chromas Inspired by Four Jingdezhen Ceramic Traditions
The PC collaboration introduces four Porcelain Chroma designs, each inspired by a representative Jingdezhen ceramic technique. View the official Porcelain Chroma announcement.
1. Porcelain Irelia: Qingbai Moon Antelope
Release date: August 13, 2026
This chroma draws inspiration from Qingbai Linglong porcelain. Qingbai porcelain is admired for its pale bluish-white glaze, while Linglong porcelain is recognized for its delicate openwork patterns and translucent appearance.
These qualities are incorporated into Irelia’s flowing movements, blades, and costume. The moonlit Qingbai palette gives the character a smooth, luminous quality reminiscent of finely fired porcelain.
2. Porcelain Lissandra: Plum Blossoms in Underglaze Red
Release date: August 13, 2026
Lissandra’s chroma is inspired by Jingdezhen’s underglaze copper-red technique. This type of decoration uses copper-based pigments and must be fired in a carefully controlled high-temperature reduction atmosphere. Small changes in the glaze formula, kiln temperature, or firing conditions can significantly affect the final color.
Red plum blossoms form the central motif, combining Lissandra’s cold and imposing presence with the deep, unpredictable tones of underglaze copper red. The contrast gives this traditional floral subject a stronger and more dramatic visual impact.
3. Porcelain Ezreal: Susancai Tiger
Release date: August 19, 2026
This chroma takes inspiration from susancai porcelain, a traditional decorative style that commonly features yellow, green, purple, and related colors while generally avoiding red as a dominant shade.
The tiger motif complements Ezreal’s energetic personality and adventurous image. At the same time, the susancai-inspired palette connects the character’s movement and visual effects with the lively colors of traditional Chinese ceramics.
4. Porcelain Lux: Leaping Carp in Wucai
Release date: August 19, 2026
Lux’s chroma is inspired by wucai porcelain, a decorative tradition known for its bright multicolored designs. Swimming carp and vivid colors represent light, vitality, and auspicious wishes.
Fish motifs in traditional Chinese decorative art are commonly associated with abundance, prosperity, and continuous progress. These meanings pair naturally with Lux’s bright appearance and light-based abilities.
The four designs go beyond simply placing porcelain patterns on the champions’ clothing. Instead, they draw from traditional glaze colors, decorative symbols, and ceramic techniques, translating them into character designs, costumes, and visual effects.
From In-Game Designs to Cultural Heritage Preservation
The PC collaboration also includes the Intangible Cultural Heritage Guardian–Rural Artisan Empowerment Program. In addition to promoting the Porcelain Chroma collection, the initiative supports local Jingdezhen craftspeople and helps preserve traditional porcelain-making skills.
This gives the collaboration a purpose beyond introducing new game content. Players are invited not only to enjoy new character appearances but also to learn about ceramic materials, decorative techniques, kiln firing, and the craftspeople who continue to practice these traditions.
For Jingdezhen, gaming provides access to a large and highly engaged younger audience, helping traditional ceramic culture enter new media and social spaces. For League of Legends, Jingdezhen’s extensive craft system and cultural history provide a rich and authentic foundation for character design.
League of Legends: Wild Rift Partners with the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum
Before the launch of the PC Porcelain Chroma project, League of Legends: Wild Rift partnered with the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum and the city’s cultural and tourism authorities in June 2026. Together, they launched the Jingdezhen Porcelain Culture Digital Heritage Guardian initiative.
One of the project’s central features was the free Porcelain Blitzcrank skin. Blitzcrank was redesigned as a blue-and-white porcelain teapot-inspired mechanical character decorated with motifs derived from Ming dynasty imperial ceramics.
The small blue-and-white bird on Blitzcrank’s shoulder was inspired by a Xuande-period blue-and-white mandarin-duck-shaped water dropper in the collection of the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum.
Players could complete quiz, sharing, and match-related challenges to collect porcelain fragments. After reaching the required progress level, they could unlock the collaboration skin for free. Learn more about the Porcelain Blitzcrank collaboration.
Through its “Digital Heritage Guardian” activities, the project also introduced players to the historical imperial-kiln production process, including raw-material preparation, forming, painting, glazing, and firing.
On August 3, 2026, a new companion called Porcelain Fufu was released, extending the blue-and-white porcelain theme within Wild Rift. Read about the release of Porcelain Fufu.
Why Gaming Can Become a New Gateway to Porcelain Culture
Blue-and-white porcelain, Linglong porcelain, and underglaze copper red all have complex technical and historical backgrounds. For audiences unfamiliar with ceramics, specialist terminology and conventional museum displays may sometimes feel difficult to approach.
Gaming offers a more accessible starting point. Players may first notice the collaboration because they like Irelia, Lissandra, Ezreal, Lux, or Blitzcrank. That initial interest can then encourage them to learn why Qingbai Linglong porcelain transmits light, why underglaze copper red is so difficult to fire, and how traditional blue-and-white patterns can be adapted for contemporary character design.
Battle of a Thousand Porcelain Vessels also demonstrates that digital culture and traditional craftsmanship do not have to exist in separate worlds. Physical porcelain vessels can become individual animation frames, historical patterns can be transformed into character costumes, and ceramic techniques can reach younger players through an internationally recognized game.
Conclusion: A Thousand-Year-Old Kiln Tradition Finds a New Language
The collaboration between League of Legends and Jingdezhen moves blue-and-white porcelain beyond museum cases and traditional vessels. Porcelain culture can now appear in character costumes, visual effects, game narratives, and a stop-motion animation made from 1,061 individually fired ceramic vases.
Although the Porcelain Chroma Art Exhibition at Taoxichuan and the earlier Wild Rift exhibition have ended, the game content, animation, and digital heritage projects continue to introduce Jingdezhen porcelain to wider audiences.
Based in Jingdezhen, MC Ceramic also explores new ways to bring traditional ceramic craftsmanship into contemporary design, commercial spaces, and international markets. From blue-and-white and Linglong porcelain to tableware, custom art ceramics, and large-scale ceramic installations, meaningful preservation is about more than reproducing the past. It is about helping traditional craftsmanship remain visible, relevant, and useful in the modern world.