A porcelain plate and nine other pieces collected by the Palace Museum within the Forbidden City here in Beijing are products from the Ge kiln. Ge kiln was one of the five most famous kilns in the Song Dynasty from the late tenth century to the late 13th century.

Porcelain of Ge Kiln (File photo)

Porcelain products from Ge kiln are among the most coveted for collectors, both for their distinctive quality and for the limited numbers of exiting pieces. It's estimated that there are no more than three hundred porcelain pieces from Ge kiln in the world.

In 1992, a porcelain plate dated to the Song Dynasty fetched 1.54 million US dollars in New York.

The earliest written record of Ge Kiln dates back to Ming Dynasty more than six centuries ago. As one of the top five official kilns run by the government, Ge Kiln is famed for its exquisite veins. The unique style helped earn the porcelain its nicknames such as "ice cracks" or "golden threads."

However, it's a great pity that no one has discovered any clue about where the ancient kiln was located. Even until today, it's one of the biggest mysteries in the history of Chinese porcelain.