China’s porcelain capital seeks to attract British visitors

A promotional conference for Jingdezhen, known as the "capital of porcelain" in China, was held in London on Tuesday to attract more tourists and porcelain lovers to visit the city in Jiangxi province.

Hu Xuemei, secretary of the Jingdezhen Municipal Party Committee, gave an opening speech to an audience of around 150 people, including porcelain experts, collectors, travel writers, and artists from across the United Kingdom.

"Jingdezhen porcelain has been a quintessential cultural medium for China to connect to the world and for the world to understand China", said Hu, adding that through the ancient Maritime Silk Road, Jingdezhen porcelain pieces have become popular in Europe.

"Last year, we initiated the international tourism alliance of Silk Road cities and I sincerely invite you all to attend the 2024 China Jingdezhen International Ceramic Expo in October," Hu added.

The ceramic culture of Jingdezhen has been passed down for more than 1000 years, and the Imperial Kiln Sites of Jingdezhen, which served China's imperial courts during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties were included in tentative list of World Heritage sites by the United Nations' cultural agency UNESCO in 2017.

Since the 17th century, Jingdezhen porcelain has been highly prized by British collectors. The porcelain trade also influenced the British ceramics industry, inspiring the emergence of local designs and factories.

Li Liyan, minister counselor for cultural affairs at the Chinese Embassy in the UK, said cultural exchange is a vital part of the China-UK relationship, and events such as this one will deepen mutual understanding and strengthen the friendship between our two nations.

"I hope more British friends will go to appreciate Jingdezhen and visit China in person. I believe everyone can find his own Jingdezhen," said Li.

H-J Colston Inge, co-director of Engage with China and joint CEO of Chopsticks Club, who has been dedicated to building China literacy in Britain for 30 years, told the audience about her recent family visit to Jingdezhen.

She also brought a tea cup, a tea scoop, and a tea saucer from her home town of Worcester to demonstrate the interconnectedness of people and culture between China and the UK.

"China has got us literally in the gut, that's what I think when I drink a cup of tea… I think we could do so much through education, travel, and art that can really find our cultures together," she said.

Frances Wood, a renowned Sinologist and former head of the Chinese Collection at the British Library, recalled her first visit to Jingdezhen in the early 1980s.

"We all know Jingdezhen through porcelain. We've touched it, we've used it, and we admire it. But I would recommend it enormously as a place to visit. … The history in Jingdezhen was really tangible. The streets were as if built on porcelain," she said.

"And I think, one of China's greatest gifts to the world – ceramics. We can forget about gunpowder for the moment. Porcelain is an enormously great gift and we're all very grateful."

The event also included a small exhibition of some 60 pieces of Jingdezhen porcelain, a live ceramic painting display by two craftsmen, and a music performance featuring instruments made of porcelain. The event also served as a product launch for three companies from Jingdezhen.

Memoranda of understanding for further cooperation were signed at the event between Jingdezhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism and MIC Connect Ltd, as well as between Jingdezhen Zijing International Travel Agency and Chopsticks Club.