Tableware on display at the 20th China (Zibo) International Ceramics Exposition in Zibo, Shandong province on Sept 6 [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

The 20th China (Zibo) International Ceramics Exposition opened on Sept 6 in Zibo, East China's Shandong province.

The event, which will run till Sept 13, consists of a main venue at the city's newly-built international exhibition center and another five sub-venues across the city, showcasing an array of ceramics from home and abroad, as well as paintings and calligraphy works from the Han (206 BC-AD 220), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

In attendance are nearly 2,000 businesspeople, 100 ceramics artists and hundreds of ceramics companies from China's major ceramics production areas, such as Jingde town in Jiangxi province and Foshan in Guangdong province, and 76 countries including the United States, Germany, Russia, Japan and South Korea.

Among the highlights are wares from the Japanese city of Kasama that date back to the mid-Edo period (1603-1868). 

This year marks the first time Germany's Villeroy & Boch is taking part in the event.

Craftspeople create patterns on ceramic vases at the 20th China (Zibo) International Ceramics Exposition in Zibo, Shandong province on Sept 6. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

The Zibo ceramics expo has been held for 19 years and has become an important platform for display, culture exchange and trade, said Jiang Duntao, the city's Party secretary, at the opening ceremony.

Jiang said that the expo provides a good opportunity for the world to learn more about Zibo and for the promotion of in-depth cooperation in innovation between domestic and overseas businesspeople.

According to Bi Rongqing, director of the Zibo publicity department, the history of ceramics in Zibo dates back to more than 8,000 years. The city is now one of the most important production centers for daily-, industrial- and construction-use ceramics.