China's 'capital of porcelain' brings ceramic arts to London

"Textile like jade, thin as paper, bright as mirror and sound like a chime." 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 were exported to Europe since the 17th century, and have since then become beloved by Europeans. 

During the 17th and 18th century, Jingdezhen-produced porcelains created quite a frenzy in the UK. 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 event was aiming to bridge China and the UK through a medium enjoying thousands of years of history. The event was attended by over 150 people from all walks of life in London. Chinese embassy counsellor Li Liyan, chief of Jingdezhen City Hu Xuemei, president of the British Ceramic Institute Jonathan Gray and sinologist Frances Wood were among the attendees.

READ MORE Bridge Builders: Frances Wood

Party chief of the Jingdezhen City, Hu Xuemei, said that the city is willing to embraces all the visitors and artists from overseas with inclusiveness and openness. She 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," said Hu. "Through this series of forms, we hope that more and more friends and artists from overseas will come to Jingdezhen and get to know more of the place."

She also gave details about the city's plan of setting up flagship porcelain stores around the world. London is among the first batch of locations, she said.

The event was also celebrated with a number of exhibitions, artistic performances, and intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, which enchanted the audience greatly.

The musical performance on instruments made by porcelains have brought the audience with a visual and acoustic feast. Ci Ou, an instrument made by porcelain bowls and with 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's a great way to create a bridge and link between countries and cultures, such as China and the UK," said Francesca Pala, who performed poem reciting at the event. She added that she is looking forward to go to Jingdezhen next year, exploring more about the ceramic culture of China.

Christian John Hayward, China analyst, said that "it is very fascinating to see Jingdezhen-styled plates in every British household," adding that seeing the porcelain wares linking the UK and China 300 years ago presented today in front of the eyes is special and interesting.

At the event, there are also a gallery of 30 pictures of the Jingdezhen sceneries and artistic works on display.

"In the past, the porcelains of Jingdezhen was brought to the world through the ancient Maritime Silk Road, and in the future, we are going to continue polish the name card of China, and allow it to continue to shine," said Hu Xuemei.

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday