East China's time-honored ceramic industry sees export boom

FUZHOU -- Every June, ceramic enterprises in Dehua county, East China's Fujian province, enter their busiest production season as international clients place advance orders for Christmas and other holidays.

At Quanzhou Shunmei Group Co Ltd, rows of Christmas-themed ceramic figurines are being carefully packed for export. "Although international trade remains challenging and some orders have been impacted, we remain confident," said Zheng Pengfei, the company's general manager.

"This year, we're actively exploring emerging markets, reducing dependence on a sole market, and participating in domestic and international expos to tap into new demand," he added.

Despite rising raw material costs and uncertainties in global demand, Dehua's ceramic industry has demonstrated remarkable resilience. From January to April this year, the county's ceramic exports had exceeded 1.2 billion yuan ($167 million), representing a 23.69 percent year-on-year increase, according to official data.

An ancient county with centuries of ceramic-making history and famed for its white porcelain, Dehua has established a full industrial chain that spans kaolin mining, clay processing, mold-making, glazing, forming and sales. More than 4,500 ceramic enterprises operate in the county, employing over 100,000 people. Dehua ceramics are now exported to more than 190 countries and regions worldwide.

Industry insiders say Dehua's success lies in its shift from competing on price to competing on design, branding and production efficiency, driven by a strong focus on innovation and transformation.

"Our output value reached 200 million yuan in 2024, with average annual growth of 20 percent in recent years," said Zeng Liangwang, deputy general manager of Fujian Dehua Tongxin Ceramics Co Ltd.

He noted that the company is accelerating the development of "ceramics-plus" products, including artistic and smart flowerpots and festive homeware, which are now sold to over 50 countries and regions.

The Tangfeng Ceramics Co Ltd developed a tea set inspired by China's Dunhuang murals, as part of its efforts to enhance product value through storytelling and cultural integration.

"Teaware with cultural depth is more attractive to consumers and allows us to increase added value," said the company's general manager Li Jianyang. "As industry competition intensifies, we must dig deeper into our cultural heritage."

Likewise, Shunmei is forging cooperation with world-renowned brands like Disney and Universal Studios, whose intellectual property has made its products more appealing to global consumers.

Meanwhile, a wave of intelligent transformation is reshaping the production landscape, with widespread adoption of technologies like 3D clay printing, 5G-enabled smart factories, and automated casting machines.

In Tongxin Ceramics' 3D printing zone, once the modeling is finished, the data is transmitted to the printer. A hollow, sculptural flower vase that once took hours to craft can now be produced in just 30 minutes.

In addition, Tongxin operates 75 automated production lines at full capacity. It takes just 10 seconds to press a lump of clay into a flowerpot, 15 seconds for a mold to complete the slip-casting process, and only 10 minutes for a fully automated line to complete an entire production cycle.

Dehua Huamao Ceramics Co Ltd has established a 5G-enabled network that connects its production equipment and enables real-time monitoring. "Our data system collects key process indicators to support continuous optimization," said Chen Weibin, deputy general manager of Huamao Ceramics.

The local government is committed to building a complete "ceramic industry ecosystem" covering raw material supply, technological innovation and talent development, with the goal of providing sustained momentum for the industry's long-term growth.

"Behind the resilience of the ceramics industry is the joint efforts of enterprises and government," said Zeng Xiansheng, an official with the ceramics development committee of Dehua.