A visitor tries her hand at making a purple clay teapot at the third China (Pingding county) purple clay industrial development seminar and product exhibition in Pingding county, Yangquan city, which kicked off on Oct 29. [Photo/yqnews.com.cn]

The third China (Pingding county) purple clayware industrial development seminar and product exhibition opened in Pingding county, Yangquan city, in Shanxi province on Oct 29.

The distinctive zisha, or purple clay, has been used in the region since the times of the Song Dynasty (960–1279) to fashion teapots and other household wares.

The event was hosted by the Yangquan municipal and Pingyao county government departments, the Shanxi Arts and Crafts Association and the Folk Art and Art Chamber of Commerce under the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, as well as the Ceramics Art Committee of the Jiangsu Ceramics Industrial Association.

Experts and scholars of the purple clay industry from across China attended the seminar. They discussed how to strengthen communications and business in the industry between the Yixing and Pingding -- two regions famous for purple clayware production -- and to  promote inheritance and innovation of purple clay craft culture and advance Pingding county's purple clay industrial growth.

Purple clayware goes on display in Pingding county, Yangquan city, on Oct 29. [Photo/yqnews.com.cn]

A total of 34 local ceramics, clayware, purple clay pottery businesses -- as well as 16 Yixing purple clayware, ceramic studios and cultural companies -- brought along purple clay examples from different schools to the exhibition.

The organizers said that several purple clayware craft masters also came to the opening of the event, which runs to Oct 31.

A series of strategic partnerships agreements were signed, they added.

These included agreements between Pingding county government and the College of Art at Taiyuan University of Technology, Yangquan Vocational and Technical College.

There were also agreements between Pingding Dingyu purple clayware Co and Shanxi Institute of Technology and between Shanxi Jinmingtang Culture Technology Co and Shanghai Dasitian Culture Development Co.

Themed lectures, an exhibition of Wu Ming's purple clay artworks and a purple clay raw materials exhibition have been scheduled for the event.

Also on schedule are on-site purple clayware making activities, a tea art demonstration and a tourism promotion.