Paris welcomes exhibition from China's porcelain paradise

A ceramic exhibition displaying 48 sets of ancient porcelain works from Jingdezhen, in East China's Jiangxi province was unveiled in Paris on Jan 30, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France.

Held at the Paris China Cultural Center and themed "Porcelain's Journey on Silk Road", the exhibition was organized by the Information Office of Jiangxi provincial government, Jiangxi provincial department of culture and tourism, Centre Culturel de Chine a Paris, and the Jingdezhen city government.

According to the organizers, the exhibition doesn't only represent a specific action to enhance Jingdezhen's image as a capital of porcelain standing for thousands of years, but also a bridge of civilization, culture and art exchange between China and France.

The opening ceremony was attended by officials including Chen Li, minister counselor of the Chinese Embassy in France; Anne-Marie Raffarin, wife of former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin; Wang Ying, deputy head of Permanent Delegation of China to UNESCO; Yannick Lintz, president of the Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts; as well as more than 180 guests from the French cultural, art and media sectors.

Jingdezhen, known as the porcelain capital of China, has produced countless exquisite porcelain works over the centuries. Chinese and French porcelain share many similarities and differences, much like the people of both countries who, despite their differences, have been able to understand and appreciate each other over the past 60 years, Chen said, adding that this ceramic cultural exhibition serves as a bridge of communication between Chinese and French cultures. It is hoped that the guests will appreciate the long-lasting beauty of porcelain and the extraordinary charm of art transcending national boundaries through this exhibition.

In his welcome speech, Liu Hongge, director of the Centre Culturel de Chine a Paris, noted that 2024 marks another China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, which provides an opportunity to explore new directions for cooperation and stimulate a new wave of exchanges between China and France. The porcelain exhibition, as one of the key events of the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, aims to showcase the historical culture of Chinese ceramics and their development.