A grand exhibition featuring about 3,000 pieces in 1,688 categories of exquisite chinaware and replicas of chinaware begins today at the Museum of the Chinese Revolution in Beijing.
The exhibits are replicas or original works from imperial families from the Song (960-1279), Yuan (1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties and will be on show until December 11.
This will be the exhibition's first visit to Beijing.
The exhibition is the largest of its kind and is jointly sponsored by the Market Development Center of the Ministry of Culture, the China Red Sandalwood Museum, and the Research Institute of Ancient Pottery and Porcelain in Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province, a major production center for chinaware for at least 1,700 years.
Most of the exhibited porcelain works are handmade replicas of high artistic value, which have been created by Cheng Yangzai, a master craftsman of ancient pottery and porcelain, said Chen Xingbao, vice-director of the Market Development Center.
The original pieces have previously been accessible only to visitors of several prestigious museums such as the Museum of Great Britain, the Palace museums in Beijing and Taiwan, and the Shanghai Museum, he said.
Some ancient-style red sandalwood furnishings from the China Red Sandalwood Museum are used as the platform for the exhibited porcelain.
Among the exhibits are three complete sets of porcelain, such as teaware and drinking vessels made by the research institute.
They look exactly the same as the set used in his Beijing residence by the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, an ardent lover of traditional Chinese culture, according to Cheng Yangzai, the institute director.
Born into a renowned family of potters in Jingdezhen, Cheng has spent more than 20 years reviving the meticulous, ancient techniques of making pottery and porcelain.
In Cheng's research institute, the kilns are fuelled by firewood instead of electricity. All work is done by hand - no modern machines for mass production are used.
Since 1989, this exhibition, though with far fewer pieces, has successfully toured such countries as Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Cheng said some foreign friends called it "a moving museum of Chinese historical and cultural heritage."
(China Daily December 6, 2001)
