Imperial blue-and-white porcelain from the town of Jingdezhen was famous for its vibrant glazes, achieved by firing ceramics at high temperatures. “People went berserk for it,” commented British potter and archeologist Graham Taylor, referring to Europe’s infatuation with Ming-era ware in the 1600s.
A more recent addition to Jiangxi’s pipeline of clay-based exports is the mass-produced rare-earth magnet. Manufactured in Ganzhou, a historic pottery-making hub, the credit card-sized magnets are molded from metals like samarium and neodymium, which are extracted from the surface of kaolin clay.
China currently produces 90 percent of the world’s rare-earth magnets.
When Beijing restricted exports of rare earths in October, the move unnerved electric car manufacturers who depend on Ganzhou-based suppliers like JL Mag Rare-Earths for neodymium magnets. Last week, some curbs were lifted following trade negotiations with the United States.
