Foreigners flock to China's 'porcelain capital'(5)

China De La Vega, an Australian potter and painter, enjoys life and work in Jingdezhen. Zhang Hao / China Daily

The institute has been recruiting international students since 2006, according to Hu Wei, head of the International Communication Department, who said the school provides three-month exchange programs that offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in ceramics and related studies.

As one of very few institutes in China devoted to ceramics, the school is attracting an increasing number of international students, according to Hu. "Many artists and pottery lovers come here because of Jingdezhen's fame. Some of them apply to teach English in our school, and in return we let them join our ceramic classes," he said, adding that although the city's fame rests on its ancient porcelain arts, modern ceramics are not ignored.

Oldest and best

Tran Suc Linh, a 24-year-old sophomore from Vietnam, is studying chemistry and ceramic materials in Jingdezhen. "In Vietnam, we only have about a dozen glazes, but in Jingdezhen, I have discovered hundreds of them," said Linh, whose family owns a ceramics factory. "Everyone in this industry knows that Jingdezhen's porcelain is not only the oldest, but also the best. You can find every material, skill and piece of equipment this business requires in this city."

According to Li Jianshen, Sanbao's founder and an acclaimed ceramic artist in his own right, as a global commodity, porcelain is international and universal. People can understand its beauty despite the language barrier and cultural differences, and that's why porcelain and Jingdezhen attract so many people from outside China.

He said people have an instinctive impulse to play with mud and to make things. They don't have to understand Chinese to understand Chinese porcelain.

"Jingdezhen was the place where the most brilliant potters were found, and they developed an instinct into an art," he said. "It's like when people love classical music, they visit Europe. But if you make porcelain, you come to Jingdezhen."