In April 2004, as one of the birthplaces of China ceramic culture, Chaozhou was awarded the title of Ceramic Capital of China by China National Light Industry Council and China Ceramic Industry Association, emerging with development at an amazing speed. In 2007, approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Chaozhou became the only one material characteristics base—National Daily-used Ceramics Characteristic Industrial Base and National Daily-used Ceramics Productivity Center, which symbolized a new breakthrough in the construction of creative service platform for Chaozhou ceramic industry.
Chaozhou is one of the ancient ceramic capitals in China with a long history. Its history in ceramic production can be traced back to the Neolithic period which was six thousand years ago. At that time, the ancient human who lived in Chenqiao, Chaozhou were able to make simple daily-used potteries. In Mid Tang Dynasty, ceramic production technics emerged and there were ceramic kilns in and around Chaozhou. Till Northern Song Dynasty, there were more kilns and Chaozhou ceramics entered its most glorious history. With large scale, fine technics and high level, Chaozhou became one of the ceramic capitals in this period. At that time, the kiln group in Bijia Mountain had the largest scale, with a length of two kilometers which gave it the name of “hundred-kiln village”. It had a class kiln of relatively high burning level and now it is one of the national cultural relics preservation units. Near the sea, Chaozhou was one of the seaports exporting Chinese products then. Chaozhou ceramics were always exported to foreign countries. There were Chaozhou ceramics in places such as Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe since Tang Dynasty. In the early years of the Republic of China era, Chaozhou entered a period of exuberant. Products were exported to Japan, America, Southeast Asia and Europe.
After the foundation of People’s Republic of China, especially after the Third Plenum of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Chaozhou seized the opportunities brought by the national reform and opening-up policy. It was the first ceramic producing area in China to implement economic reform, by emphasizing Private Enterprises and developing export-oriented economy. To seize international market with the most marketable products, Chaozhou took the lead in kiln innovation to improve productivity and realize energy saving. It has built a producing and sale system of multilevel, diversification, various operation and economic elements, which enables fast development of ceramic industry and makes Chaozhou one of the main ceramic producing areas in China.
With arduous pioneering spirit of the Chaozhou people and flexible operation strategy, tremendous changes have taken place in Chaozhou ceramics in the last twenty years. Chaozhou has become: the largest ceramic producing area in China, with a production value of twenty billion plus in 2006; the ceramic producing area with largest number of manufacturers in China, which has formed a complete industrial chain; the largest ceramic export area in China, with foreign exchange earnings of 1.4 billion in 2006, nearly 30% of the total national foreign exchange earnings. The products have been sold to more than 180 countries and areas over the world. Chaozhou is also the largest producing and export base of daily-used ceramics, furnishings art pottery, electronic ceramics and sanitary ceramics in China. It has the most complete rang of ceramic products including ceramics for artistic, daily, sanitary and electronic use. Moreover, Chaozhou is the ceramic producing area with most product innovation in China, with more than ten thousand new products launched every year.
Chaozhou ceramics absorb the artistic achievements of ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign. Coupled with technology, human resources, management and market innovation and development, Chaozhou ceramics have achieved great development with a leadership position in the industry. In recent years, many of Chaozhou ceramics enterprises have already established a number of provincial-level engineering and technology R&D centers and enterprise R&D rooms. They have gradually established engineering and technology R&D bases of ceramic materials, artistic porcelain, ceramics for daily use, electronic ceramics, sanitary ware, etc., which led the technological progress of whole industry. Now there are more than 100 high-tech enterprises of provincial level and private ceramic enterprises. Over the last decade, more than 3 billion RMB has been put into technical reform and another 2 billion plus into kiln rebuild. This has greatly improved the overall level of technics and innovation ability of the ceramic enterprises. What is more, great changes has taken place in product structure, from the ordinary ceramic products to high technological products such as bone china, white jade porcelain, strengthen ceramics, light china，faience， ivory porcelain, and refractory porcelain. There are newly developed products like special technical gilded lacquer artworks, inlaid antibacterial ceramics, ceramic for palace use and nanotechnology ceramics.
Chaozhou daily-used ceramics adopt advanced machines and kiln equipment, dare to use high-level ceramic materials from home and broad. After refined processing and scientific improvement, Chaozhou ceramics have exquisite content, glossy surface and high light transmittance. There is a saying that the Chaozhou ceramics “White like jade, sound like a chime, bright as a mirror.” What’s more, daily-used ceramics are popular and fashion in style and decoration. In Chaozhou, the over-glaze porcelain is elegant and colorful; the under-glaze porcelain is crystal clear, safe and Pb free. The in-glaze porcelain enjoys the essences of the both. Moreover, there are high-end daily-used ceramics with ceramic flowers and relieve.
Chaozhou artistic porcelain has inherited excellent traditional technics. Together with modern elements and technology, now there are ceramic flowers and open-work ceramics which are white like jade, thin like paper and silk. The Chaozhou ceramic sculptures and murals have not only absorbed the technics of Chaozhou wood and stone carving and inlaid ceramics, but also included the strong points of the ceramic sculptures from Jindezhen, Jiangxi province and Dehua, Fujian province, and the Dawu clay sculpturers in Chaozhou. Moreover, there are now newly developed antique colors which are simple but elegant. The “foreign ceramics” not only keep the traditional technics of figure, design and style of Chaozhou ceramics but also have Europe elements. All these have constituted a splendid products series of artistic porcelain.
Chaozhou sanitary ceramics aim at the quality and standard of international brands and pursue water saving and environmental friendliness. The manufacturers keep improving the materials and formula and molding technics. By introducing advanced kiln equipment and using modern design, Chaozhou sanitary ceramics have occupied the market in and abroad by product diversification, design novelty, multi-function, high level and innovation.
Chaozhou electronic ceramics have become one of the most important materials in electronic components and have been widely used in the field electronics. Chaozhou Three-Circle Group Co.,Ltd(CCTC) produces hi-tech ceramic products such as ceramic rods, resistors, MLCC, alumina substrates, ceramic ferrule and sleeves, using ceramic as the main material. At present, the annual output of their main ceramic electronic components has reached to more than 120 billion, accounting for 70% of the total national output of similar products and 50% of the total output in the world. CCTC has become the most important production base of electronic ceramics in the world.
Chaozhou ceramics enterprises attach great importance to product quality, and gradually manage to reach international standards. Most enterprises obtain the Total Quality Management Standards Certification, Manufacturer Certificate for Ceramic Tableware Exported to the United States, the ISO 9000 series of standards for Quality Management Systems, the ISI4000 International Environmental Management System Certification and OHSAS18001: 2001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System Certification.
At the same time, Chaozhou ceramics enterprises pay great attention to brand building. There are already 2 well-known trademarks in China, 15 products exempted from quality surveillance inspection, 9 Chinese top brands, 3 top products for export, 22 top products in Guangdong and 29 well-known trademarks in Guangdong. 2006, among the total big enterprises, 325 of them are ceramic enterprises, accounting for 40% of the total. With 36% of the total industrial output of Chaozhou, the ceramic industry has become a pillar industry of Chaozhou. |
