Ceramics expo showcases artistry and industry in Jiangxi

From showcasing museum relics and intangible cultural heritage to activities that stimulate global trade and exchanges, the 2023 China Jingdezhen International Ceramic Expo provided a feast of porcelain culture for visitors from home and abroad.

The five-day event, which concluded on Oct 22, fueled a wave of ceramic exchanges in Jingdezhen, the millennium-old porcelain capital in East China's Jiangxi province.

Themed Ceramics Facilitate World Communication, Ceramic Trade Connects the World, this year's expo covered a total area of 130,000 square meters. It had two sections, one for exhibition and the other for trade, focusing on heritage exchange and innovation.

One of the highlights was the Silk Road-themed exhibition booth presented by Jingdezhen's Export Porcelain Museum.

"This is the first time that the expo set up a cultural exchange exhibition section and it is a good platform for us," said Liu Hao, a staff member of the museum.

Ceramic relics such as Kraak and armorial porcelain, which were Chinese export porcelains in ancient times, and a collection of relics from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) at the booth demonstrated the historical peak of Chinese porcelain and trade on the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

"The purpose of setting up this special exhibition is to showcase our history and achievements in exporting porcelain," Liu said.

"Export porcelain played a crucial role in cultural exchange throughout the world, and it is largely responsible for introducing Chinese porcelain to people abroad," he said.

Porcelain thrived over thousands of years of foreign trade through the ancient Maritime Silk Road, and also witnessed cultural exchanges between China and other countries throughout history, he added.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chinese ceramics for export flourished due to the increased demand for porcelain from European countries. Today, Jingdezhen has continued to see burgeoning growth in foreign trade in ceramics under the Belt and Road Initiative. Official data showed that Jingdezhen's daily use and art ceramics have been exported to 37 Belt and Road countries and regions, and the city's export volume has increased by 244.6 percent year-on-year in 2022.

Data from Jingdezhen Customs showed that since 2013, Jingdezhen's ceramic exports have grown by an average of more than 20 percent annually. Over the first eight months of this year, Jingdezhen exported ceramic products worth more than 106 million yuan ($14.49 million) to Belt and Road countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia, accounting for more than half of the city's total ceramic exports.

Apart from relics, the exhibition gathered craftsmen and their works. They wowed visitors with traditional porcelain-making intangible heritage.

Zhan Shaolin, a Jingdezhen city-level inheritor of traditional pottery throwing, said the expo has offered inheritors and skilled masters the opportunity to showcase profound traditional culture.

"It is the first time for us to demonstrate the intangible heritage skills at the ceramic expo," Zhan said.

Zhan, who is also the head of the Jingdezhen Model Workers' Association, used the throwing technique to demonstrate the process of porcelain-making during the exhibition.

"Jingdezhen is a porcelain capital. As an inheritor, I feel obligated to pass on ceramic-making skills while promoting our Chinese culture to the world," he said.

Revolving around mutual learning, the exhibition featured works created by Jingdezhen's traveling foreign artists, which were an example of the expo promoting international ceramic art communication.

Song Yeon-joo, an artist from South Korea, showcased her ceramic artwork dubbed Memory of the Sea, which was created by using silver foil painted onto ceramics.

"There are various types of ceramic works showcased in this expo and many international artists can also come here to exchange ideas. This is a fantastic exhibition," said Song.

"I've been in Jingdezhen for two years now. I used to do painting art, but my love for ceramics brought me here," Song said.

Apart from exhibitions, the trade center at the same venue of the expo attracted a number of visitors and buyers.

Jinhemei, a Jingdezhen-based ceramic production business, focuses on local white porcelain production, specializing in the production of ceramic products for hotels.

"The trade center is a good platform for us. Because there are many ceramic traders, manufacturers and buyers coming to Jingdezhen and we have more opportunities to meet new clients," said Wu Qihu, sales manager of the company.

Settling in the trade center this year, Jinhemei has secured orders from new clients from home and abroad, according to Wu.

"The center allows year-round trade, which offers ceramic businesses like us to have more chances to expand our sales," he said.

The expo also held a slew of activities including a matchmaking meeting for cross-border sourcing, which secured intentional orders of $66.76 million and an actual turnover of $13.29 million.

During the expo, supportive events such as the Taoxichuan spring and autumn art fair attracted more than 500 artists from home and abroad to conduct cultural exchanges in Jingdezhen.

Boasting a history of porcelain production dating back more than 2,000 years, including over 10 centuries of kiln history and more than 600 years of imperial kiln history, the city of Jingdezhen has made use of its historical treasures.

Utilizing its popular tourist attractions, scenic areas and consumer brands, the city also held more than 60 cultural, tourism and consumption activities during the expo, which aimed to help create new consumption scenes and new formats by combining modern elements with traditional culture.

It is expected that this porcelain fair will drive cultural, tourism and trade consumption of 5 billion yuan, according to officials.

liangkaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn