Marathon medals get a millennia-old porcelain makeover in N China's Hebei

Zhu Zhiming, head of a company in Dingzhou city, north China's Hebei Province, led his team in designing and producing the medals for the Dingzhou Half Marathon, which debuted in 2023.

The 2026 edition, with 15,000 runners expected, is set to kick off on April 19. 

"In recent years, road races — marathons in particular — have surged in popularity. We kept asking ourselves whether the Dingzhou Half Marathon medal could be something that truly wows people," said Qin Peng, director of the Dingzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism.

A craftswoman assembles ribbons onto the medals for the 2026 Dingzhou Half Marathon in Dingzhou city, north China's Hebei Province, March 13, 2026. (Xinhua/Dong Xiaokun)

The Ding Kiln was one of the five great kilns of the Song Dynasty (960-1127), celebrated for its fine white porcelain. It took its name from Dingzhou, the administrative region that governed the area during the Tang (618-907) and Song dynasties. In 2008, the craft of Ding porcelain was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

Most marathon medals at home and abroad are made from metal, acrylic or resin. "Using the craft of Ding porcelain to produce marathon medals is a rare attempt in China," said Zhao Xiang, deputy director of the bureau. "A medal with this kind of material and craftsmanship doesn't just stand out — it has real collectible value."

The collaboration began in September 2024, when Zhu and his team received their first order to design and produce 11,000 medals. The design went through multiple revisions over two months before a final version was agreed upon. The production process involves 36 steps.

After the Dingzhou Half Marathon in April 2025, its medals — the first ever crafted using the millennium-old Ding porcelain craft — quickly went viral, becoming a coveted trophy among runners on social media.

Freshly fired medals using the craft of Ding porcelain undergo air-drying in Dingzhou city, north China's Hebei Province, March 13, 2026. (Xinhua/Yang Fan)

Two months later, Zhu's team received another order: 15,000 medals for the 2026 edition.

The design for this year's medals draws primarily on three artifacts housed in the Dingzhou Museum.

"We're delighted that symbols of Dingzhou's history and culture can be integrated into the half marathon — the city's calling card in the world of sport," said Wang Yajing, director of the museum's information department.

The organizing committee hopes to make the Dingzhou Half Marathon an unforgettable experience for runners and build the race into a sporting event with a lasting reputation, Qin said.

Photo shows a finished medal for the 2026 Dingzhou Half Marathon. (Xinhua/Yang Fan)