A ceramics artist from Jingdezhen shows off designs at an exhibition during the International Ceramics Festival in July at Aberystwyth on the coast of west Wales.(Photo provided to China Daily)

A thick layer of clay dust coats Jessie Lee's work tables and shelves. Her studio abounds with vases and pots, but pride of place goes to a ceramic candlestick decorated with lotus flowers and a Chinese dragon coiled around the neck.

"I've kept it for 40 years. It was my first piece of work," said the 67-year-old Malaysian-born British ceramics artist, speaking at her studio in High Wycombe on the outskirts of London.

"My teacher told me to make something, so I made the dragon candlestick. The Chinese influence was strong when I started to learn about pottery in the 1970s," she said, contemplating the dragon with its piercing claws, surrounded by trailing clouds.

Made from a material that was virtually unknown in Europe until the 1500s, Chinese porcelain caused a sensation in 16th-century Europe, and collecting fine works became popular among the wealthy. By the 18th century the fever had spread to others.

Chinese porcelain, especially the famous blue and white ware, changed people's ideas of beauty, and the enormous demand encouraged European potters to try to replicate art works from the East. The influence of Chinese ceramics continues to inspire artists to this day.

"Chinese porcelain is extremely famous in the West, especially the wares made in Jingdezhen. Almost the entire collection of Chinese porcelain in the British Museum was made in Jingdezhen," Lee said, referring to China's ceramics capital in Jiangxi province. "For British potters, Jingdezhen is the place."

When she visited the ancient city in 2011, Lee was impressed to discover that the ancient pottery-making skills hadn't died out. She saw a man coil a pot simply by walking around the vessel.

"The pot was nearly a meter tall and too big for the wheel, so the man held a lump of clay and moved around at a certain pace so that it looked like he was dancing around the pot," she said. "It was an old way of making pots and was very beautiful. I was inspired and made a smaller coiled pot when I came back."

Last year, Lee returned to Jingdezhen for more inspiration. This time, she cut clay with a stretched coil spring to produce shapes such as waves and ripples.

"The local landscape inspired me. I could hear and see the streams the whole day and the whole night," she said. "Traditional Chinese artists also observe nature and then return to their studios to work."

The Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute, a private art center in a suburb of Jingdezhen, receives more than 200 foreign artists every year, including about 100 who arrive to work as artists in residence. Many of them come from the United Kingdom, said Li Wenying, the institute's manager.

British ceramics artist Jessie Lee with her first work, a candlestick she made 40 years ago.(Photo provided to China Daily)

When Li attended the International Ceramics Festival, held in July in Aberystwyth on the coast of west Wales, the Chinese artwork and handmade pottery tools she took along attracted huge interest.

"During the three-day event, my stand was crowded all the time. People were asking me about Jingdezhen and traditional Chinese skills," she said.

"In 2013, I was invited to give a speech on our institution and Jingdezhen's ceramic arts at the festival. Next time, I hope to bring more Chinese potters to the UK's leading ceramics event."

After Jingdezhen's potters discovered the secret of making porcelain during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the material became one of China's earliest and most important global commodities, and helped introduce Chinese culture, art and the name of the city to the world. Even today, Jingdezhen is a byword for ceramics.

Although the industry has modernized and many of the old processes are now performed by machines, the city's ancient kilns and skills have been lovingly preserved.

Built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the 40-meter-long Zhenyao is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest wood-burning kiln, and it is still regularly used to fire porcelain.

In 2005, a blue and white jar that had been fired in Huluyao－another active ancient kiln in Jingdezhen during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)－sold for $34 million at an auction in London.

"For ceramic artists, Jingdezhen is like a gold mine－there are so many things to learn. An ordinary old man walking on the street might be a master of the wood-burning kiln," Li said, adding that in the UK, ceramists focus on having good ideas, but very few of them understand glazes and related skills, including throwing, coiling and painting.

Potters use the past to inspire them in the future

Jessie Lee believes China's long history of ceramics is both a cause for celebration and a curse for the country's contemporary artists.

"How can they surpass the peak that people achieved during the Tang (AD 418-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties? Sometimes when you are too good at something, you may be afraid of making new things. Many of the works I saw in Jingdezhen were imitations of ancient works," the Malaysian-born British ceramics artist said.

"In the UK, we don't have that much history and tradition (of ceramics), so it is easier for us to create and innovate. I think China's ceramic artists should also investigate new approaches and embrace new technology."

Wang Yuwei is studying for a master's degree in architecture and ceramics at University College, London. The 24-year-old student said teachers in the UK encourage experimental projects and the use of new materials.

Mia Sarosi, a ceramics artist based in Oxfordshire, with her blue and white porcelain works at an exhibition. (Photo provided to China Daily)

She and two other Chinese students are working on making ceramic components with a robotic arm. They have adapted an arm, originally used to weld automobile parts, to squeeze out clay and make different-shaped coils.

"It is faster and more accurate. It's cutting-edge ceramic technology," Wang said. "I didn't know about this before I came to the UK. It's still very new in China."

Using digital technology doesn't mean rejecting craftsmanship, according to Guan Lee, Wang's tutor at the college.

"The technology helps us make shapes we can't make by hand. With digital tools, we can realize our designs," he said. "Many ceramics artists come to my studio to learn about different technologies, including 3-D printing."

In 2013-14, ceramics artist Mia Sarosi taught at a college in the UK. She said her students from China and other parts of Asia weren't used to working individually and expressing their ideas and opinions without reserve.

"They were more accustomed to being told what to do, so it was strange for them to have the opportunity to do whatever they wanted for their art projects," Sarosi said. "However, they all rose to the challenge. I gave them lots of opportunities to discover their individual interests. They all ended up with diversely different projects."

Li Wenying, manager of a private ceramics arts center in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, said China could learn a few lessons from the UK's education system.

"Most colleges, even primary schools, have ceramics classes. Galleries and ceramics events are very common. If you are interested, you can train as an artist from very young age," she said. "We don't have a similar culture in China."

When she visited the International Ceramics Festival held in Aberystwyth, Wales, she was impressed by the passion shown by the devotees.

"People were dancing, drinking and firing porcelain at the event. Artists were working together and exchanging ideas. It was like a big party for lovers of ceramics," she said. "We have a ceramics festival at Jingdezhen, but it's usually very formal and few artists participate."

Having worked with artists and galleries in the UK for more than 10 years, Li said most of them were passionate about what they were doing. By contrast, the potters in Jingdezhen follow the market instead of their hearts. "Now the wood-burning kiln is popular. Even an ordinary teacup fired by wood could be priced at more than 1,000 yuan ($155). Suddenly, there are wood-burning kilns everywhere in the city," she said.