NANCHANG, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- At the Hutian Ancient Kiln Site in Jingdezhen, the historic porcelain hub in east China's Jiangxi Province, a Spanish ceramic artist spotted a motif on an image of a Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) porcelain shard, which closely resembled one in his own work.
The finding underscores artistic links between global ceramic traditions -- a core theme of the 2026 Jingdezhen Forum, which opened Oct. 19 under the theme of "Dialogue between World Heritage and Civilizations."
"It is like a cultural mirror, showing me that we are not as far apart as we might think," said Fernando Porteria Garcia, a historian involved in a project to safeguard the ceramic heritage of Talavera de la Reina, Spain.
The forum brought together diplomats, city representatives, experts, scholars and inheritors of intangible cultural heritage from 25 countries, for discussions on heritage conservation and exchanges between civilizations.
In July, the Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites were inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List, cementing the status of the historic porcelain-making hub.
The inscription has also created fresh opportunities for Jingdezhen to deepen international exchanges and cooperation in ceramic heritage preservation.
For Ahmet Kaya, deputy mayor of Türkiye's ceramic-famed Iznik, such ties reflect craftsmanship's enduring role in cultural identity.
"Iznik has passed through the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods, and ceramics have run through all these stages of its history," Kaya said, adding that the protection and transmission of cultural heritage is a shared responsibility that transcends national borders.
At the forum, Tim Winter, a professor at the National University of Singapore, proposed the concept of "ceramic heritage diplomacy," calling for partnerships among ceramic-producing cities worldwide.
In Jingdezhen, international cooperation runs alongside efforts to digitize traditional craftsmanship. Tools including 3D printing and AI-assisted design open new ways to document, study and restore ceramic artifacts.
The city has established what local authorities described as the world's first "ancient ceramic gene bank," with digital records of 20 million porcelain shards. At the opening ceremony of the 2026 China Jingdezhen International Ceramic Expo, local authorities also unveiled initiatives to advance the ceramic industry's digital and intelligent transformation.
"Digitalization makes it possible to bring the past and the present together, opening up new possibilities for traditional craftsmanship in the digital age," said Tony Brown, a lifetime professor at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, France, during a presentation on the use of 3D printing in ceramic restoration.
Chang Bo, head of China International Communications Group, said at the forum that closer integration of culture and technology could make the historical significance and artistic value of cultural heritage more accessible to international audiences.
Yet preserving artifacts is only part of the challenge. Ensuring that traditional skills are passed down to younger generations remains a key concern for ceramic-producing communities around the world.
Angela Delgado Paniagua, a councilor responsible for crafts and tourism in Talavera de la Reina, told Xinhua that fewer young people in the Spanish city were choosing to pursue ceramics.
To encourage interest among children, Spanish ceramic artist Kevin Recuero Lopez and his wife opened a ceramics workshop last year, where they teach pottery throwing and painting every week.
"It is very important to introduce children to ceramic culture from an early age. We hope to carry the spirit of craftsmanship forward," Lopez said.
Jingdezhen has attracted young creators from China and abroad with its open and inclusive creative environment. The city is home to more than 3,400 inheritors of intangible cultural heritage and around 100,000 young creative entrepreneurs.
At Taoxichuan, a cultural and creative district developed from a former porcelain factory, over 30,000 young creators with an average age of 28 are pursuing their ambitions.
"Our visit to Jingdezhen showed us artists of different ethnic backgrounds and speaking different languages creating side by side here. It was deeply inspiring," Lopez noted.
Kaya said Iznik and Jingdezhen are advancing a project to boost youth education and transmission of ceramic heritage. Artist and student exchanges, he added, matter to both cities, and Iznik hopes to draw on Jingdezhen's experience.
The forum also saw the launch of the Jingdezhen Initiative, which received positive responses from World Heritage sites and partner cities in China and abroad, including Talavera de la Reina, Iznik and the Western Xia Imperial Tombs in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China.
This initiative calls for respect for cultural diversity and the integration of traditional heritage into contemporary life. It also proposes establishing regular communication mechanisms among World Heritage sites and strengthening cooperation in talent development, academic research and digital transformation.
Beyond Jingdezhen, China is ramping up efforts to preserve and revitalize its various forms of cultural heritage.
The outline of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) calls for strengthening systematic protection and unified oversight of cultural heritage, stepping up the protection of World Heritage sites and cultural landscapes, and fostering new settings for intangible cultural heritage transmission and experiential engagement. ■
