MILAN, ITALY — Jingdezhen city in Jiangxi province, where the art of making porcelain dates back 1,000 years, held a porcelain festival at the Chinese Pavilion of 2015 Milan World Expo.

The activity will also serve the nation’s great Belt and Road Initiative, said Liu Cuilan, Director of Commerce of Jiangxi. In ancient times, porcelain was among the first products that China exported to Europe along the Silk Road, she said, adding that it is one of the gifts that attracted many foreign tourists to visit China.

Liu’s idea is shared by Liu Wencai, vice mayor of Jingdezhen, who in the opening remarks of the festival said that the city will continue encouraging the traditional art of making porcelain.

Following the trend of low-carbon living, they are also developing new technologies to minimize the porcelain industry’s impact on the environment, he said.