Jiangsu Province and British County Essex County jointly host a cultural bazaar on Oct 18 to promote the deep cultural and economic ties. [Photo by Jiang Shan/chinadaily.com.cn]

China's Jiangsu Province and British County Essex County jointly hosted a cultural bazaar on Oct 18 to promote the deep educational and economic ties they have had over the years.

The cultural exposition included the precious Donghai crystal, Jiangsu calligraphy masterpieces, Yixing Zisha clay pottery and Nanjing's richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics used in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Wang Zhigang, artist and owner of a clay and porcelain shop in Yixing, said: "Both English and Chinese people are interested in drinking tea. We bring this Zisha teapot here today to use this as a symbol to share the Chinese culture and enhance the friendship between China and Britain."

"The products in our company are mainly creative. We use many Chinese cultural elements, such as the famous fleet admiral Zheng He's voyages in the Ming dynasty. We hope Chinese culture can be spread through this way to English people," said the representative of Hangang Cultural development company, in Nanjing in Jiangsu province.

Mayor of Essex Ron McDermott said: "I cannot believe the displays. It is a real cultural and educational experience. This is a great opportunity for all the shoppers that are here today to visit Chinese culture."

The origins of this cooperation lie within the education sector.