The 2026 China Jingdezhen International Ceramic Expo opened on Sunday in Jingdezhen, a city in east China's Jiangxi Province famed as the "porcelain capital," attracting more than 1,000 professional buyers from home and abroad.
The five-day event showcases several facets of the ceramic industry, including the entire industrial chain, its domestic and international markets and its application of digital technology, all within an exhibition space of 140,000 square meters.
It has brought together exhibitors from over 19 countries, including Spain, Germany and Japan. Themed zones feature creative design, smart ceramic manufacturing, international brands, and ceramic-producing cities.
The 2026 standards for the "Jingdezhen Made" regional brand and the city's digital culture and tourism platform were unveiled at the opening ceremony.
On July 25, the Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, filling a long-standing gap in the list for porcelain heritage and becoming China's 61st World Heritage site.
The heritage sites represent the handicraft porcelain industry system that developed in Jingdezhen from the 10th to the 19th century.
Today, Jingdezhen's ceramic industry chain employs over 100,000 people, and the comprehensive division-of-labor system that once underpinned its historic success continues to thrive.
First launched in 2004, the expo has not only continued to broaden its international reach but also gradually built a comprehensive platform integrating exhibition and trade, cultural exchange, and investment cooperation.
With a population of over 1.6 million, Jingdezhen recorded a net population inflow of 136,000 over the past decade. Among those who have started long-term businesses in the city, more than half come from outside Jiangxi Province, with a notable number from overseas.
Chinese, international buyers gather at ceramic expo in China's "porcelain capital"
A grassroots official from Gari Village in Ya'an City of southwest China's Sichuan Province has led locals to conquer immense difficulties to build a road at an altitude of 4,000 meters, turning the once-isolated community into a thriving tourist destination, paving the way towards a prosperous life.
This is a story from a China Global Television Network (CGTN) documentary titled "4,000m Altitude: They Built a Road Straight to the Sky".
Due to its extreme altitude, Gari Village lacked a proper road more than a decade ago, forcing residents to hike in and out on foot.
Refusing to let his village remain cut off from the world, Asheng, the local Party chief, made it his mission to change their fate. Mobilizing the villagers, he led them in overcoming immense geographical and logistical hurdles to finally carve a road through the high-altitude terrain.
The road opened the gates to Dawagengzha, a stunning natural attraction whose name translates to "magic mountain" in the Tibetan language. As word of this natural wonder spread, tourists began to arrive. However, a new challenge quickly emerged: the village lacked hotels and other tourism infrastructure, meaning visitors couldn't stay overnight.
Recognizing the bottleneck, Asheng took the initiative once again, converting his own house into the village's first homestay.
Seeing the success of Asheng's venture, hesitant villagers quickly followed suit.
Today, Gari Village is home to 158 distinctive homestays, forming a thriving hospitality cluster known as "Cloud Dawagengzha". Campsites, inns, and wooden cabins now dot the mountain landscape.
In 2024, the village welcomed over one million tourist arrivals, generating a revenue of 120 million yuan (about 17.94 million U.S. dollars). The momentum has only continued to grow. During the autumn foliage season in 2025, the village recorded an average weekly tourism revenue exceeding 1.5 million yuan.
Looking ahead, Asheng said he will continue to explore ways to improve the lives of his fellow villagers.
The documentary is part of CGTN's "Breaking Through" series, which traces China's journey from the historic Long March to its modern-day achievements, highlighting the resilience, ingenuity, and determination of its people.
Building road at 4,000m, grassroots official leads locals to prosperity: documentary
