Daily-use ceramic products attract many potential buyers.

Domestic and foreign guests at the ceramics producing scene.

The 11th Zibo International Ceramics Expo opened on September 6 in Zibo, Shandong province, allowing opportunities for ceramics fans to indulge in a variety of pieces as it showcased a wide range of ceramic artworks during the four-day event.

Aside from the ceramics show, an on-site demonstration of the ceramics producing process was held by ceramics artists, attracting hundreds of visitors from home and abroad.

"The ceramics here are fabulous. I came and talked with (the on-site artists) and they brought me many inspirations," said Lee Middleman from the USA.

As a city of ceramics, Zibo's ceramics industry now covers a wider range, including daily-use ceramics, decorative materials and high-tech products.

The city has at around 150 companies producing 850 million pieces of daily-use ceramics per year, ranking in the second place in China in terms of ceramic products quantity.

Ceramic products made by Zibo-based companies have been used in many famous buildings, including the Great Hall of the People, the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and Zhongnanhai — the central government complex. Others are presented as state gifts to foreign guests.