Over 380 domestic and overseas ceramics artists gathered in Yixing, China's "ceramics capital" in the country's eastern Jiangsu Province, to discuss history and production of ceramics at a four-day symposium which opened Wednesday.

Yixing city has been one of China's major ceramics producers for 2,000 years. Six out of China's current 108 ceramics artists are from Yixing.

In recent years, Yixing has made ceramics its pillar industry, and great efforts have been made to improve techniques and equipment. The city exported over US$27 million worth of ceramics products in 2000.

Ceramics artists from the United States, Japan, Russia and Belgium have brought over 500 ceramics works to the symposium.

(Xinhua 05/31/2001)