In an ancient kiln, clay crackles in the flames; on a modern workshop floor, electronic ceramic components await assembly.
It is the same clay. A thousand years ago, it was fired into exquisite porcelain traded across the seas; today, it does work most people can hardly imagine. Who would have thought that the raw material for making porcelain would transform into the "unsung hero" hidden inside all kinds of high-tech devices?
With a thousand years of porcelain-making heritage, Chaozhou has gone beyond just making bowls and vases. Its ceramic ferrules for optical communication, alumina ceramic substrates and semiconductor packaging bases rank among the world's leaders in output and sales. The city has built a complete industrial chain spanning powder, precision forming, sintering and component manufacturing.
Backed by this complete industrial chain, Guangdong's advanced ceramic solutions continue to serve manufacturers across APEC member economies.
The same clay has followed two completely different manufacturing paths in different eras.
In ancient times, artisans kneaded the clay, shaped it, glazed it and fired it, and piece after piece of porcelain traveled along the Maritime Silk Road to global markets.
Today, the clay must be repeatedly purified and ground into ultra-fine powder, then go through precision forming, the stacking of over a thousand layers of dielectric films, and high-temperature sintering. Inside a tiny MLCC (multilayer ceramic capacitor), more than 1,000 layers of films are stacked—thinner than one-fortieth of a strand of hair.
These unassuming little components are widely used in the smartphones we use every day, new-energy vehicles, 5G optical modules, AI servers and precision medical instruments.
On Chaozhou's electronic ceramic production lines, AI vision systems screen for micron-level defects, boosting quality inspection efficiency tenfold compared with manual checks.
Many buyers from APEC member economies come to Chaozhou to inspect samples on site and develop customized electronic ceramic component solutions.
A thousand years ago, porcelain set sail across the seas; today, these advanced electronic ceramics are supplied in bulk to APEC member economies, entering the supply chains of leading global companies and powering the Asia-Pacific's consumer electronics, new energy and high-end manufacturing.
From ancient Maritime Silk Road trade to the co-building of Asia-Pacific industrial chains, Guangdong is exporting not just components but complete materials and manufacturing solutions, empowering innovation among small and medium-sized enterprises across the Asia-Pacific.
A thousand years of kiln fire has given rise to new value. This humble clay, now a new material, is deeply engaged in the cooperation and co-building of Asia-Pacific industrial chains.
A handful of clay, spanning a millennium, builds the industrial foundation of the Asia-Pacific digital age, down to the micron level.
Main Creators: Li Qian, Guan Xiruyi, Chen Rongwei, Gong Chunhui
Revisors: Wei Shen, Huang Qini, Liu Lingzhi
