Cai Limin,vice governor of Hebei Province	Cui Yushan,vice president of the CCPIT	Bai Runzhang，sec-retaty of Tangshan City Committee of the CPC	Zhang He，Mayor of Tangshan City

　　The First China Ceramic Fair was held ceremoniously in 8-12August,1998 in Tangshan City of Hebei Province.
　　This Fair was sponsored by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Hebei Provincial Government, the China Association for the Ceramic Industry, the China Association for Architectural& Sanitary Porcelain, and the China Economic Liaison Center, and undertaken by Tangshan City Government and the Hebei Branch of the CCPIT. Centering on the exhibition of ceramic and related products, it was also an event for comprehensive economic of ceramic and trade cooperation and exchanges.
　　The fair was placed at the Tangshan Sports Center, in 6 different stadiums with 350 exhibition sites up to international standard. A total of 118 manufacturers from 30 countries and regions participated in the fair, The exhibits fell in dozens of categories of thousands of varieties of varieties of ceramic products, including daily use, building, and sanitary, art and special-use ceramics, and related machinery and products. Participating in the event were also famous manufacturers from Jingdezhen, Foshan, Zibo, Liling, Yixing, Dehua, Handan, Tangshan and other big domestic ceramic production areas, and globally renowned porcelain and machinery producers, like the American Standard, the Japanese TOTO and the SACMI from Itlay.
　　The opening ceremony of the fair was held at 10:00 on the morning of October 8 on the square before the Tangshan Sports Center. Invited to attend the opening ceremony were He Luli, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Sun Fuling, vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative, Hu Ping, member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, leaders from departments of the central government, the concerned state ministries, Beijing Municipality, the 5 sponsors, members of the organizing committee, diplomatic envoys and commercial counselors from embassies of Austria, the South Africa, France and other countries, and representatives from the Italian SACMI and Japanese ITO and other world famous large trading firms and transnational companies, leaders and manufacturers from the main domestic ceramic producing areas and leaders of Hebei Province and Tangshan City, totaling 2,800 guests and reporters. Some senior leaders from the state departments and Hebei Province cut the ribbon at the ceremony. They are: He Luli, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Sun Fuling, vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Hu Ping, member of the Standing committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Cai Wu, vice minister of the international Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, Cui Yushan, vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade(CCPIT), Gong Huanwen, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hebei Province People's Congress, Cai Limin, vice governor of Hebei Province, Han Licheng, vice chairman of Hebei Provincial Chinese People's Consultative Conference, Yang Jiehai, vice diretor of the State Administration for Light Industry, and Lei Qianzhi, vice director of the State Administration for Building Materials.
　　Congratulatory letters were also received from Shi Guangsheng, minister of the Foreign Trade and Cooperation Ministry, Cheng Weigao and Ye Liansong, leaders of Hebei Provice.
Also held in the course of the fir were '98 Tangshan Foreign Economic and Trade Talks, the Conference of exhibition and promulgation of new and high technologies, the symposiums on ceramics, the talent exchange conference and unveiling ceremony of the Tangshan Service Station for Talents and Intellects of the Chinese Academy of Sciencer