China's "porcelain capital" attracts migratory foreign designers
Release time：2024-05-21 11:46:16 Source：Earthly Exploits news portal
-
NANCHANG, March 6 (Xinhua) -- With masterful precision, Allan Denis Naymark breathed life into the shapeless clay on his potter's wheel. As he worked his magic, a teapot emerged, ready to be decorated with his signature algae pattern. After finishing his work, the 33-year-old American left Jingdezhen for Hainan for a winter vacation. "I will be back to the studio in Jingdezhen and restart my work there in April." Jingdezhen, a city in east China's Jiangxi Province, is known as the world-famous "porcelain capital." Its history of ceramic craftsmanship spans over 2,000 years. Naymark came to Jingdezhen nine years ago from New York. "I found the origin of ceramic culture here," he said. The city inspired him to start his career as a ceramics designer. He gave himself the Chinese name Ni Deming. The Chinese character "Ni," which is pronounced similar to the "Nay" in his name, means clay, the main component in ceramics. In a village on the outskirts of Jingdezhen, Naymark owns a studio in a former farm house. He is in good company as there are more than 200 such studios in the vicinity. Driven by a passion for ceramics, more than 30,000 people have migrated to Jingdezhen, a city with a population of less than 900,000, in recent years. During the peak period, there is one foreigner among every six migrants. The foreigners, which come from around 60 countries and regions, are compared to migratory birds, as they flock to Jingdezhen annually. Some even stay longer. "This year we have already got a record of more than 1,000 foreign artists applying for on-site work here," said Wu Hao, head of Taoxichuan International Art Center. The center has run the three-month Taoxichuan Art Center Residency Program every year since 2015, inviting art institutions of over 50 countries and regions to recommend artists to join the program. All expenses are covered; the only request is that each artist should leave one third of the work. The recent decade has witnessed over 3,000 "migratory" artists working at Wu's international art center. Some even come every year. Ceramicists are attracted to the porcelain hub for its ceramic culture, while the city's industrial chain of handmade porcelain allows them to enter the market at low cost. According to a Dutch designer who only gave his name as Johannes, a porcelain mould that would sell 2,000 euros in the Netherlands cost just one eightieth of the price in Jingdezhen. "From ceramic clay, glaze, tools to kilning, I can handle everything simply by making a phone call here," he said. "You can innovate boldly thanks to the more inclusive market here," said Japanese ceramist Takayanagi Ayao, adding bowls made in Jingdezhen have richer color and sells at a higher price. Livestreaming has also helped boost the sales of porcelain in Jingdezhen. There are over 10,000 livestream hosts engaged in the ceramics industry. According to the local government, last year the sales of porcelain via livestreaming exceeded 7 billion yuan (about 985.54 million U.S. dollars), accounting for almost 70 percent of China's e-commerce market share in ceramics industry. Yoo Si-hyoung, a ceramist from the Republic of Korea who has lived in Jingdezhen for eight years, said that Jingdezhen enables people to translate creations into reality with good sales. Naymark told Xinhua that although he lives in a relatively remote area, he has seen more and more foreigners in recent years, including sculptors and historians from countries like Italy, Egypt and Russia. Locals, already used to seeing outsiders, are happy to talk with any newcomers about ceramics and local cuisine. Apart from designing ceramics, Naymark also enjoys the slow life there, drinking tea, admiring porcelain, hiking, and visiting the Changjiang river, which passes through the city. He said that he loved the ubiquitous artistic atmosphere and the warm, delicate, and free living environment of Jingdezhen. "I will continue working and living here," he said.
（Editor:Liao Yifan）
- Previous：Kristin Cavallari, 37, ignores critics of her age
- Next：Company wins court ruling to continue development of Michigan factory serving EV industry
Related articles
- Election 2024: Biden and Trump bypassed the Commission on Presidential Debates
- New reporting requirements for life
- Americans react to Walmart axing self
- Meta Platforms, O'Reilly Automotive fall; Chipotle, TransUnion rise, Thursday, 4/25/2024
- Mohammad Mokhber: Who is Iran’s acting president?
- Madonna shares behind
- Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
- Alabama sets July execution date for man convicted of killing delivery driver
- OpenAI pauses ChatGPT voice after Scarlett Johansson comparisons
- Dozens of deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police
- Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 26
- Ukraine pulls US
- Cyndi Lauper's rapper son Dex, 26, flashes peace sign as he arrives at NYC court hand
- Journalists critical of their own companies cause headaches for news organizations
- Biden says Brown v. Board of Education ruling was about more than education
- Andrew Tate's trial on charges of rape and human trafficking can start, a Romanian court rules
- Colts snap record streak of 14 straight offensive players taken in NFL draft with UCLA DE Latu
- Fall in love with Chinese instrument hulusi flute
- Yvette Fielding says her Most Haunted co
- Madonna shares behind
Random recommendation
Zurich presents counterrevolutionary staging of Wagner's Ring Cycle under Noseda and HomokiPGA CHAMPIONSHIP '24: Facts and figures for the PGA at ValhallaA campaign ad by a South African party showing a burning flag is called treason by the presidentPakistani police prevent proWorld told to brace for 'severe geomagnetic storm' todayBodies of 2 backcountry skiers buried by Utah avalanche recovered from mountain, names releasedFamilies with TWO retired generations will surge to one million in a decadeFilm academy launches $500M fundraising campaign ahead of 100th Oscar anniversaryTrump hush money trial: Michael Cohen awaits turn after graphic Stormy Daniels accountAustralian judge extends ban on X sharing video of Sydney bishop's stabbing
- Copyright © 2024 Powered by China's "porcelain capital" attracts migratory foreign designers ,Earthly Exploits news portal sitemap