Liling, a city in central China's Hunan Province, is famous for its ancient ceramics industry, dating from 2,000 years ago.

A locally-made ceramic item earned a top prize at the Panama Pacific International Exposition over a century ago. Now, the time-honored industry stays competitive and secures its position in today's modern and competitive market by tapping into high-tech production chain.

The ceramics sector in Liling has now developed into a modern industrial chain with over 1,500 businesses. They employ over 200,000 craftspeople, or one fifth of the local population.