China – China

China – China
china – porcelain
China – Changnan Town (Changnan) – Jingdezhen

The most popular explanation in Jingdezhen is that “china” is a transliteration of the Chinese term “Changnan” (the former name of Jingdezhen). It was only after Jingdezhen’s exquisite white porcelain was widely exported overseas that “china” (porcelain) became a synonym for China.

Subsequently, the porcelain from this town was exported to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, and later, via Arab traders, reached Europe. In all these places, the product was named after its place of origin, Changnan. The pronunciation of “Changnan” spread far and wide, becoming “Chine” in French and “china” in English. “China” was then translated back into Chinese as “porcelain.” As porcelain gained global fame, Europeans began to refer to China itself as “china,” capitalizing the first letter to form “China.”