An international ceramics expo opened Wednesday in Jingdezhen, east China's Jiangxi Province, drawing more than 10,000 ceramic experts, company heads and government officials from across the globe.

The Second Jingdezhen International Ceramics Expo is organized jointly by the Ministry of Commerce, the China Federation of Light Industries, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), and the Jiangxi Provincial Government.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ma Xiuhong, vice minister of commerce, said, "To hold the world ceramic fair in Jingdezhen is to use ceramics as media, to build a platform for mutual exchange and cooperation in the ceramic industry and enterprises from China and abroad, so as to spur ceramic culture and expand ceramic trade, and to push forward the advancement of ceramic technology and ceramic industry."

During the seven-day fair, 10 activities will be launched, including an exhibition of high-tech ceramic products, an international forum on high-tech ceramics, and a conference on investment and trade in Jingdezhen.

Jingdezhen is the most famous Chinese porcelain-making center, with over 1,600 years of making artistically exquisite ceramic pieces with sophisticated technologies.

Last year, Jingdezhen marked the millennium of changing its name from "Changnan" to "Jingde" in line with a royal decree from an imperial Song Dynasty (960-1279) emperor, a divine honor of granting a pioneering status to the ceramic town.

(Xinhua News Agency, October 13, 2005)