About Jingdezhen City

Jingdezhen, located in the northeast of Jiangxi Province, is widely recognised as China’s centre of ceramic production. With a pottery-making history spanning over 2,000 years, the city has played a pivotal role in the evolution of ceramic arts and industry. The city has been home to official kilns for over 1,000 years and imperial kilns for more than 600 years, which has contributed to its rich ceramic heritage. The name ‘Jingdezhen’ dates back to the Song dynasty, when Emperor Zhenzong named the city in honour of its renowned blue-and-white porcelain.

Jingdezhen’s natural environment supports its ceramic industry. The area is rich in kaolin and porcelain stone, which are essential materials for producing high-quality ceramics. Its water resources have traditionally supported porcelain-making processes and facilitated transportation via an extensive river network. Throughout its history, Jingdezhen has been renowned for its diverse ceramic styles, including the blue-and-white porcelain of the Yuan dynasty and the polychrome and famille rose porcelains of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

In recent years, Jingdezhen has focused on preserving its ceramic traditions while encouraging innovation. The city remains a hub for ceramic art and production and continues to engage in global cultural and economic exchange, building on its historical role as a key point on the Maritime Silk Road.

About the Host: Jingdezhen Ceramic University

Jingdezhen Ceramic University (JCU) is the only comprehensive university in China to be named after ceramics. It was one of the first institutions in the country to offer independent undergraduate programmes in art, and it is authorised to enroll international students through Chinese government scholarships. The Ministry of Education has also designated JCU as a model university for innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as an intangible cultural heritage preservation training centre.

Founded in 1910 by the industrialist and educator Zhang Jian as the China Ceramics School, the university later became Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute and adopted its current name in 2016. JCU operates across three campuses: Xianghu, Xinchang and the Ceramics Research Institute, covering over 1,500 acres. JCU comprises 10 schools and multiple academic departments, offering programmes in materials science, fine arts, design, archaeology, engineering, economics, foreign languages and more. With a student population of over 29,000, JCU is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading institutions for ceramic education.

JCU is committed to research and innovation within the ceramics industry. It operates 40 national and provincial science and technology platforms, including the National Engineering Research Centre for Domestic and Building Ceramics. The university has undertaken several key research projects and partnerships, contributing to the modernisation and technical advancement of the ceramic sector. Its collaboration with leading industry partners has resulted in numerous joint laboratories, innovation hubs and applied research programmes.

In terms of international exchange, JCU actively promotes Chinese ceramic culture abroad. The university has organised exhibitions at institutions such as the Louvre in France, the Grand Palais, the Asian Greek Museum and the United Nations Headquarters in New York. JCU has also played a leading role in establishing the ‘Ceramic Road’ International Ceramic Education Alliance and co-founded the Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale. JCU has hosted over 20 international forums and seminars on ceramic-related topics, and it maintains cooperative relationships with over 50 institutions in countries including the USA, the UK, France, Japan and South Korea. To date, it has trained over 3,000 international students from almost 60 countries.