A cultural event hosted by China's 'capital of porcelain' Jingdezhen City has brought the ceramic art along with its thousands of years history and tradition to London.
The event – dubbed "A moonment to remember: Discover China through Jingdezhen" – was held during the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, making it an occasion for a special reunion.
Porcelain wares from Jingdezhen are noted for being "white as jade, thin as a paper, bright as a mirror and making a chime-like sound upon tapping". They have been exported to Europe since the 17th century.
During the 17th and 18th century, Jingdezhen-produced porcelain products created quite a frenzy in the U.K. They were widely used for decoration in the royal households, and demands for the porcelains swept the whole society that craftsmen in Jingdezhen even created a certain type of porcelains catering to the European tastes, known as "Kraak ware".
The cultural event was aimed to bridge China and the U.K. through a medium enjoying thousands of years of history. It was attended by over 150 people from all walks of life in London.
Minister Counsellor for Cultural Affairs of the Chinese Embassy in the UK Li Liyan, Party chief of Jingdezhen City Hu Xuemei, President of the British Ceramic Institute Jonathan Gray and sinologist Frances Wood were among the attendees. Li said during the event that Jingdezhen is not only a symbol of Chinese culture, but also a bridge connecting civilizations between China and other countries.
Hu noted that Jingdezhen is an inclusive and open city and extended the city's warm welcome to all overseas visitors and artists. She also unveiled a number of events they are going to hold in the near future.
"We have a series of major arrangements this year. For example, we will hold the annual International Ceramics Expo and the Ceramic Art Biennale. We will also host the 2026 Global Ceramics Conference. Through this series of events, we hope that more and more friends and artists from overseas will come to Jingdezhen and get to know more of the place. We also plan to open ceramic flagship stores all over the world and there will soon be a ceramic flagship store here in the UK," she said.
The event was also celebrated with a number of exhibitions, artistic performances, and intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, which enchanted the visitors greatly.
The musical performance on instruments made by porcelain entertained the audience with a visual and acoustic feast. Ci Ou, an instrument made with porcelain bowls and giving the sound of chimes, has brought the artistic works of porcelain to another level. The artists also performed a well-known English song Scarborough Fair at the event.
Other performances, such as Chinese martial art and poem reciting, were also put onto stage.
"It was really beautiful. I feel very honored to be invited to such a beautiful performance. And I think it's a great way to kind of create a link and a bridge between countries and cultures such as UK and Chinese culture, especially in such a special moment such as Mid-Autumn Festival. I hope to go, maybe next year. I'd really love to go and I'm very passionate about discovering, learning more about Chinese ceramics. I think it's a beautiful part of the culture and history of China," said Francesca Pala, who performed poem reciting at the event.
At the event, guests were invited to write calligraphy works. There are also a gallery of 30 pictures of the Jingdezhen sceneries and artistic works on display.
"I think this is a very good opportunity to promote Chinese culture through such a bridge, using ceramic art, Chinese calligraphy and painting art," said Yin Zhijun, a professor of Jingdezhen Ceramic University.
Christian John Hayward, a China analyst, said, "One of the first things that I think Britain and China collaborated on 300 years ago was porcelain. If you look at British porcelain, whether it be new or in a charity shop, often they have willow pattern plates. And it's very fascinating to see Jingdezhen style plates in every British household. As I said before, my grandma, she had many of these plates and it's really lovely seeing where they came from in style, originating from."
Located in east China's Jiangxi Province, Jingdezhen has a history of ceramic craftsmanship that spans over 2,000 years. In ancient times, it exported ceramics to Central Asia, West Asia, Europe, and Africa via the Silk Road.
In recent years, the city has grown even more popular as a tourist destination. Artists from around the world have also moved to the city, establishing studios and organizing pottery activities.
At Tuesday's event, two contracts were signed between organizations from the U.K. and the porcelain capital, including a deal between the London-based Chopsticks Club and a travel agency from Jingdezhen.
China's Jingdezhen ceramic arts showcased in London
