Published in Ceramics Monthly, February 2014
"For centuries China exported its highly sought after blue-and-white porcelain wares to Europe. Ships used to find their way through the waterways to Jingdezhen (formerly named Changnanzhen, which translates to China Town) to load their vessels to return to countries such as Sweden and Holland (now part of the Netherlands). Today this historically-rooted chine de commande of the 18th and 19th centuries has come full circle—and Europe is exporting designers to China to design and produce ceramic wares in Jingdezhen. Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province, China is arguably “the industrialized world’s workshop” and claims its status as the porcelain capital of the world. Agnes Fries and Carola Zee are two ceramic designers who have recently set up shop in China in order to design, create and/or produce their wares. Fries hails from Stockholm, Sweden, and Zee’s hometown is just outside Rotterdam in the Netherlands.... "
