The 2021 China-Japan-ROK ceramic culture, art and tourism week kicked off in Jingdezhen on Dec 14. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Japanese artist Ayao Takayanagi attracted a lot of attention at an exhibition in Jingdezhen, East China's Jiangxi province, in mid-December.

Takayanagi, who specializes in ceramic art and tea rituals, says she has been fascinated by jianzhan, known as tenmoku in Japan, since seeing an artwork in a Japanese museum in 2000.

Jianzhan is a Chinese porcelain craftsmanship, with a history of about 900 years. It uses iron black glaze and white ash glaze in making porcelain pieces, allowing the black pattern to appear on the surface after it is fired in kilns. Often used as tea sets for royal families, the craft's development peaked in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Impressed by the subtle effects of the glaze and the interplay of light and shadow on porcelain ware, Takayanagi moved with her husband, Wen Minxiong, originally from South China's Guangdong province, to Jingdezhen in 2013.

"The name of the place precedes itself, so I believe it is the best place for me to pursue ceramic art here," Takayanagi says.

What she has to offer is part of highlights at the 2021 China-Japan-ROK ceramic culture, art and tourism week that kicked off in the "ceramic capital city" Jingdezhen on Dec 14.

More than 20 artists from the three countries brought some 100 artworks, including paintings, calligraphy, tea sets, ceramics and sculptures. Visitors enjoyed the cultural charm of the three countries for a week.

The event is part of Jingdezhen's effort to become a "culture city of East Asia" by 2023. Jingdezhen will host more than 100 ceramic-related events to boost communication among artists from the three countries.

The city hopes to develop itself as a center for ceramic innovation, protection, cultural exchange, tourism and trade, according to Lin Rong, head of Jingdezhen's publicity department.

"It's such an open and free place, especially for art creations," Takayanagi says. "Everyone has an open mind, and won't judge or even laugh at your work. When I wear a kimono and go out, no one stares at me."

International events like the China-Japan-ROK ceramic culture, art and tourism week have not only allowed Takayanagi to interact with artists from home and abroad, but have brought guests to her doorstep.

"I arranged art and tea events at my place, and many people came, especially before the pandemic," she says.

With a history of ceramic-making dating to over 2,000 years ago, Jingdezhen has developed an integral industry chain for ceramics. The city boasts more than 8,300 enterprises and more than 9,800 independent practitioners in ceramics. About one-tenth of its population is engaged in related businesses, according to local authorities.

The 2021 China-Japan-ROK ceramic culture, art and tourism week kicked off in Jingdezhen on Dec 14. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A rich ceramic atmosphere has taken shape in the city, as artisans have inherited one generation after another the spirit of craftsmanship featuring diligence, perfection and innovation in a process that turns a handful clay into a refined porcelain ware. This rich scene has drawn foreign artists over the years. To date, more than 5,000 artists from abroad have started a life in Jingdezhen, according to local authorities. Many have settled down and married locals.

A good many foreign ceramic artists have joined their Chinese counterparts in Jingdezhen and have managed to sell their works of art online or through livestreaming in recent years.

More than 2,600 ceramic workshops at the Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue in the city have staged livestreaming events on popular Chinese video-sharing app Douyin, with sales exceeding 2 billion yuan ($311 million) as of September.

French artist Camille Kami says she was impressed by the mass ceramic industry during a trip to Jingdezhen a decade ago.

"There were such variety of artworks in the city back then already, which was very attractive to me," Kami says.

She studied ceramics in the Netherlands, Britain and Switzerland before moving to Jingdezhen in 2015. Kami has since lived in the city.

"I love slow-paced life very much, and, therefore, I prefer a small city like Jingdezhen, which also happens to be so open to the outside world," Kami says. "It's like the best of both worlds."

Kami now speaks fluent Chinese after years of communication with locals and runs two workshops in Jingdezhen. She sometimes draws inspiration from Chinese fairy tales and adds to them some French elements out of her own imagination. She enjoys working and chatting with other ceramic artists. Unlike her earlier experiences in Europe, Kami says it's very easy for her to get help during an art project in Jingdezhen.

"You can find experts in every single step of ceramic-making," Kami says, adding that it is exciting to deliver a work with other artists. "It is one of the reasons why I love the city so much."

The 2021 China-Japan-ROK ceramic culture, art and tourism week kicked off in Jingdezhen on Dec 14. [Photo provided to China Daily]

South Korean art graduate Kim Eun-ju says she held on to her dream of understanding Jingdezhen's ceramic culture for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 29-year-old returned to her home on Jeju Island, South Korea, in early 2020 to spend a vacation after graduating from Peking University, where she had pursued a master's program on ceramic archaeology from 2017 to 2019. She got a job offer at Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue in Jingdezhen, where she was supposed to help with international exhibitions. The pandemic forced her to postpone her joining.

"I wasn't going to give up the opportunity, because I love ceramics and Jingdezhen is famous for it and thus the place to go."

Kim says she was fascinated by Chinese blue-and-white porcelain during her undergraduate studies in South Korea, where she focused on the ROK's ceramics culture. She grew more interested after seeing blue-and-white porcelain wares unearthed in her country.

Kim came to China to first study Mandarin at the Beijing Language and Culture University in 2015, determined to find out more about ceramics.

She eventually moved to Jingdezhen earlier this year and has been helping to set up ceramic exhibitions for various artists.

"It's exciting to arrange ceramic works in a space and learn more about the culture," Kim says.

She has worked with many Chinese and foreign artists so far. "I came to realize how ceramics can be a way for artists to express their views and culture."

Kim says she has planned to settle down in Jingdezhen. "I love how everything, and everyone, seems to revolve around ceramics (here)."