China's ceramics capital seeks to build global brands
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E-mail Xinhua, October 22, 2015
A ROYAL HERITAGE
Hu Yinjiao, a resident of Jingdezhen, takes pride in the town's history as a royal porcelain supplier, not just for Chinese emperors but also European royals and nobility.
In the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Jingdezhen was not only the home of imperial kilns dedicated to Chinese emperors, but also saw strong exports in porcelain. It is estimated that some 100 million pieces of china were sold to Europe from the 16th to the 18th century.
"In overseas museums, quite a number of exquisite porcelain antiques for European royals and aristocrats were made in Jingdezhen. To understand how famous the city is, just look at the mark below each antique. Oftentimes, I've found it mentioned just the city -- adding the country was seemingly unnecessary," said Hu.
"When browsing armorial porcelain antiques in overseas museums, I do feel the town's strong connection with the royalty there," said Hu.
In Exhibition Hall A at the ceramics fair in Jingdezhen, Chinese swarmed the stands of royal suppliers to appreciate the designs.
Moorcroft, an 118-year-old brand based in Stoke-on-Trent of Staffordshire in England and an appointed "potter to H.M. The Queen" until 1978, is one of the most popular ceramics makers at the expo.
Head of Sales Gina McNicholas said that Moorcroft's heritage as a supplier to the Queen and royal families helps its sales in China.
"We've found our traditional English products have sold better than anything in China. It's very regal and royal. I think people buy into that idea," said McNicholas.
Moorcroft has hired a Hong Kong agent to deal in exports to China. The brand has a history of working with overseas markets to establish new designs, so designers can influence one another and come up with new ideas about how things will sell in each market.
McNicholas told Xinhua that the company will also look to cooperate with ceramics makers in Jingdezhen. "It's about working together to share ideas and best practices and boost the UK and Chinese brands as well," she said.
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