Ware to share

South Korean art graduate Kim Eun-ju says she held on to her dream of understanding Jingdezhen's ceramic culture for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 29-year-old returned to her home on Jeju Island, South Korea, in early 2020 to spend a vacation after graduating from Peking University, where she had pursued a master's program on ceramic archaeology from 2017 to 2019. She got a job offer at Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue in Jingdezhen, where she was supposed to help with international exhibitions. The pandemic forced her to postpone her joining.

"I wasn't going to give up the opportunity, because I love ceramics and Jingdezhen is famous for it and thus the place to go."

Kim says she was fascinated by Chinese blue-and-white porcelain during her undergraduate studies in South Korea, where she focused on the ROK's ceramics culture. She grew more interested after seeing blue-and-white porcelain wares unearthed in her country.

Kim came to China to first study Mandarin at the Beijing Language and Culture University in 2015, determined to find out more about ceramics.

She eventually moved to Jingdezhen earlier this year and has been helping to set up ceramic exhibitions for various artists.

"It's exciting to arrange ceramic works in a space and learn more about the culture," Kim says.

She has worked with many Chinese and foreign artists so far. "I came to realize how ceramics can be a way for artists to express their views and culture."

Kim says she has planned to settle down in Jingdezhen. "I love how everything, and everyone, seems to revolve around ceramics (here)."