The “Copyright in China” Thematic Exhibition was recently held at the headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). As a key participating province, Jiangxi took part with a dedicated delegation.
On July 8 local time, the 66th Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the WIPO opened. On the same day, the thematic exhibition “Copyright in China: Safeguarding Innovation, Shaping the Future Together”, co-hosted by the National Copyright Administration of China, the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland, and the WIPO, was inaugurated at the WIPO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The opening ceremony was attended by more than 1,000 representatives from the WIPO member states and observers.
This exhibition, through forms such as graphics, texts and videos, physical displays, interactive experiences, case studies, and performances, presented a comprehensive overview of the development of China’s copyright undertakings and its international cooperation. Among them, the highlights from Jiangxi made a splendid appearance, and became a focal point that drew wide attention at the exhibition.
Jingdezhen Stories Go Global
The launch ceremony of the Chinese and English bilingual monograph IP and Creative Industry: Jingdezhen Story was a highlight of the exhibition. As the fourth WIPO Copyright Protection Best Practice Demonstration Research Project in China and the only case study systematically examining how copyright empowers the high-quality development of an entire city, the book provides a comprehensive account of how Jingdezhen has promoted the inheritance and innovative development of the ceramic industry through innovative copyright practices, thereby advancing the city’s high-quality development. By studying the vivid practices of copyright protection and utilization in Jingdezhen—the microcosm of China’s copyright protection—the project distills replicable, referential, and scalable experiences forming a “China Model”. This not only serves as a vivid example of telling China’s copyright story but also contributes Chinese wisdom and solutions to global copyright governance. It carries great significance for harnessing copyright to advance the development of the Jingdezhen National Ceramic Culture Inheritance and Innovation Pilot Zone and for telling the story of Chinese ceramics to the world.
On the large electronic screen at the venue, the promotional video of the same name, “Jingdezhen Story”, was played in rotation. With the central theme of “telling cultural confidence of capital ‘China’ (the country) through lowercase ‘china’ (porcelain)”, it vividly presented how Jingdezhen, through the copyright stories of three generations of ceramic artists—local masters and “foreign Jingpiao” (expatriate artisans in Jingdezhen)—has leveraged copyright protection and innovative application to reignite its millennia-old kiln fires, enabling the traditional ceramic industry to flourish with new vitality in the present era, and making Jingdezhen a global model of high-quality creative industry development driven by copyright.
Intangible Cultural Heritage Tie-dye Draws Attention in Geneva
At the book launch ceremony, a piece of tie-dyed cloth from Xin’gan County, Ji’an, captured the attention of the audience. Used as the “custom” curtain for the unveiling of the book, the indigo-blue fabric, set against display panels featuring blue-and-white porcelain motifs, complemented and harmonized perfectly with Jingdezhen’s ceramic culture.
Tie-dye is a traditional and captivating intangible cultural heritage craft of Xin’gan County. The great Ming dynasty work on science and technology, Tiangong Kaiwu (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature), provides detailed accounts of the dyes used, methods of extracting them from plants, and the processes and techniques of dyeing. Tools such as yarn, thread, and rope are used, and fabrics are bound, stitched, tied, fastened, or clamped in various combinations before dyeing. Through the application of hundreds of variations in technique, each tie-dye creation becomes a unique “copyrighted work”, embodying the millennia-old cultural heritage and intangible craftsmanship of Jiangxi.
Tiangong Kaiwu Takes the International Stage
At the opening ceremony, the Jiangxi delegation presented an excerpt from the meticulously choreographed dance drama “Tiangong Kaiwu”, marking the beginning of the performances. By blending ancient Eastern wisdom with modern artistic expression, the piece offered the international audience a visual feast. The dance drama “Tiangong Kaiwu”, jointly produced by Jiangxi Cultural Performance Group and the Beijing Dance Academy, is inspired by the Ming dynasty scientific and technological treatise Tiangong Kaiwu (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature). In its creation, the team delved deeply into the craftsmanship, knowledge, and social context recorded in this Ming-era classic, distilling the aesthetic qualities of “grandeur, ingenuity, and simplicity” and incorporating them into the stage design. From costume styling to musical composition, from stage design to choreography, every detail reflects the cultural characteristics of Jiangxi and the traditional aesthetics of China. Rather than confining itself to the personal story of Song Yingxing, the drama uses narrative drawn from various chapters to weave an epic of Chinese scientific and technological civilization. Through the portrayal of collective labour scenes, it inspires audiences at home and abroad with a sense of recognition and pride in China’s traditional culture.
This dance drama has taken to the international stage, using art as a medium to bring Chinese culture to the world in a more vivid way, enhancing global understanding of and resonance with Chinese civilization. The spirit of shared technological wisdom embodied in Tiangong Kaiwu provides a historical reference for overseas practices of open-source technology and promotes mutual learning and exchange between China and the world in the inheritance and innovation of science and technology.
Copyright Safeguards the Splendour of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Jingdezhen is not only a bridge connecting China and the world, but also a city that fosters cultural exchange and dialogue between China and other countries. Jingdezhen porcelain has long been celebrated for being “white as jade, bright as a mirror, thin as paper, and resonant like a chime”. Its exquisite craftsmanship and breathtaking beauty have been passionately admired in the West since ancient times. At the exhibition, more than ten carefully selected ceramic treasures from Jingdezhen—distinguished by their elegant forms and lustrous glazes—undoubtedly became the “favorites” among the displayed items, serving as the finest embodiment of the “exquisite beauty” of Chinese culture showcased at this event.
In the opening performance “Craft Rhythms, New Vitality”, performers of traditional Chinese music gathered at center stage to play the porcelain music piece “Song of the Imperial Street”. On stage, master artisans demonstrated intangible cultural heritage techniques such as porcelain-making, woodblock watermark printing, movable-type woodblock printing, and string puppet performance in time with the music. Among them, Jiang Hexian, a representative inheritor of intangible cultural heritage from Jingdezhen and a master of arts and crafts, performed the art of handmade porcelain, showcasing on site his exceptional skills in ceramic carving and painting. Between the movements of his fingertips, clay was transformed into art; each brushstroke and every carved line left the audience holding their breath in awe at the refinement and marvel of traditional Chinese craftsmanship.
Complementing the artistry of Jingdezhen porcelain were the exquisite works of the “flowers blooming on paper” craft from Ruichang, Jiujiang. With the precise rhythm of scissors and carving knives, thin red paper was transformed into lifelike golden dragons soaring through clouds and intricately detailed pavilions and towers, offering a unique interpretation of traditional culture. As an outstanding representative item of Jiangxi’s intangible cultural heritage, Ruichang paper-cutting shared the international stage with Jingdezhen ceramic art, showcasing to the world the profound heritage and vibrant creativity of Chinese folk art. It vividly illustrated how copyright protection can endow ancient crafts with renewed vitality in the modern era.
When the kiln fires of Jingdezhen reflect the auspicious patterns of Ruichang paper-cutting, when ancient Eastern crafts bloom with contemporary brilliance under the safeguard of copyright, and when Jingdezhen’s copyright story resonates in Geneva… the world, through this window of Jiangxi, gains a clearer vision of a confident China—rich in cultural heritage, bursting with innovative vitality, and steadfast in using copyright to safeguard its cultural roots and energize its industries.