I. Basic Profile and Key Data
Located at No. 2 Jiangwan 3rd Road, Chancheng District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province—within the Shiwan Subdistrict—China Ceramics City stands as one of the most representative hubs for brand exhibition and export trade in China’s architectural and sanitary ceramics sector. It opened on October 18, 2002, coinciding with the inaugural Foshan Ceramics Fair. The facility is operated by Foshan China Ceramics City Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Dongpeng Holdings.

The complex spans approximately 130,000 square meters, with a five-story main building covering about 53,000 square meters. It houses between 180 and 200 showrooms for domestic and international brands, most of which serve as flagship stores or direct manufacturer-operated showrooms. According to incomplete statistics, the resident enterprises generate an average annual transaction volume of approximately 4 billion RMB. The facility sees an average daily foot traffic of about 500 visitors, consisting of approximately 50% overseas buyers, 15% national distributors, 20% domestic project procurement representatives, and 15% end consumers. In terms of its business model, about 98% of the products are managed directly by the manufacturers, effectively eliminating intermediaries.

II. Core Functions: An Export Gateway and a Brand Showcase
China Ceramics City is positioned as much more than a wholesale marketplace. Its core value lies in serving as an “export gateway” and a “brand showcase” for China’s ceramics and sanitary ware industry.

Regarding its status as an export hub, the facility was designated an “Export Base for Chinese Architectural and Sanitary Ceramics” as early as 2004, and in 2012, it was recognized as an “International Procurement Center for Architectural and Sanitary Ceramics in Guangdong.” A telling statistic is that for the enterprises based there, more than half of their export trade originates from China Ceramics City—with some companies relying on it exclusively for their export operations. Its reach extends to over 150 countries and regions worldwide, having served more than 800,000 professional buyers to date.

In terms of exhibition functions, China Ceramics City serves as one of the primary venues for the Foshan Ceramics Fair (the China (Foshan) International Ceramics & Sanitary Ware Fair), specifically designated as the “Export and Brand Pavilion.” Established in 2002, the Foshan Ceramics & Sanitary Ware Fair (CeramBath) will have reached its 44th edition by 2026, having served over 1.3 million global buyers to date. At the China Ceramics City venue, the exhibition employs a hybrid model—combining permanent showrooms with temporary exhibition spaces—spanning a total area of ​​over 65,000 square meters and hosting more than 250 exhibitors. Officially recognized as the world’s fourth-largest international ceramics and sanitary ware exhibition—following those in Bologna (Italy), Valencia (Spain), and the Coverings expo (USA)—CeramBath serves as the premier Chinese stage for the global ceramics industry.

III. Floor-by-Floor Layout
The five-level space is organized vertically by product category, creating a seamless sourcing journey that spans everything from tiles and sanitary ware to broader home furnishing solutions.

The first floor is the Premium Sanitary Ware Hall, featuring integrated bathroom solutions, vanity cabinets, shower enclosures, hardware and fixtures, and smart bathroom products. It hosts leading international brands—such as TOTO, Kohler, and Grohe—alongside top-tier domestic sanitary ware brands.

The second floor is the Premium Tile Hall, dedicated to wall and floor tiles, sintered stone, feature wall panels, and exterior cladding. It houses flagship stores and factory-direct outlets for major industry leaders, including Dongpeng, Marco Polo, KITO, and Yinuo.

The third floor is the Boutique Tile & Niche Category Hall, which highlights specialized, innovative, and high-quality brands. It encompasses nearly 50 distinct product segments, such as mosaics, white tiles, “skin-touch” (soft-matte) tiles, flexible tiles, and landscape/outdoor tiles.

The fourth floor is the Custom & Smart Home Hall, covering whole-house customization, smart home systems, and doors and windows—a key level representing the fair’s recent expansion into the broader home furnishing sector.

The fifth floor is the Imported Tile Hall, showcasing top-tier global tile and sintered stone brands. With over 5,000 imported products on display, this floor serves as a hub for the Chinese headquarters-level showrooms of international tile brands.

IV. Key Recent Upgrades: Foreign Trade Channels and the “First-Store” Strategy
Regarding the development of the “1039” foreign trade channel, China Ceramics City was designated in 2024 as a pilot cluster for the “market procurement trade” model (Customs code 1039). This trade model allows qualified operators to purchase goods within the market—with a customs declaration value of up to $150,000 per shipment—and benefit from simplified customs clearance procedures at designated ports, making it highly suitable for small and medium-sized foreign trade orders. The first transaction under this model was completed in September 2024; by October of the same year, three transactions had been finalized, with a total declared value of nearly 1.7 million RMB. This provides the many small-scale merchants and individual business owners within the complex with a compliant export pathway that was previously difficult to access.

In its transition from a hub focused on “ceramics and sanitary ware” to a “comprehensive home furnishing export platform,” China Ceramics City launched a “brand first-store” strategy in 2024. By 2026, this initiative had evolved into its 4.0 phase, with a total of 55 “first stores” (flagship or debut locations for brands) introduced. The core of this strategy is to expand the platform’s scope beyond ceramics and sanitary ware to include broader home furnishing categories, such as doors, windows, and custom home interiors. In August 2024, the facility was designated as a “Guangdong Province Door and Window Export Base” by the Guangdong Door and Window Association—a milestone that signifies industry recognition of its expanded product range. The ultimate goal is to evolve from a “gateway for ceramics and sanitary ware exports” into a “comprehensive service platform for the export of home furnishing and building materials,” encompassing categories such as doors, windows, and custom home furnishings.

V. Operating Hours and Transportation
The complex is open Monday through Sunday, from 9:00 to 18:00. Visitors can take Foshan Metro Line 2 to “Shiwan” Station, from which it is an approximately 8-minute walk. Alternatively, the site is accessible via several bus routes, with a stop conveniently located at “China Ceramics City.”