A unique exhibition, held by University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) campus museum and Jingdezhen Porcelain Archaeological Research Institute, aims to explore the grand historical sweep of Chinese porcelain starting from March 12, 2019.

The exhibition, namely the Charm of Imperial Porcelain: Porcelain from the Imperial Porcelain Factories in Jingdezhen, consists of more than 136 exquisite porcelain works from the sites of imperial porcelain factories of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).

Imperial porcelain on show at USTC. (Image by XU Yue)

JIANG Jianxin, the director of Jingdezhen Porcelain Archaeological Research Institute said that the researchers have launched more than ten archaeological excavations in the past 20 years and have rescued and restored thousands of works at the sites of imperial porcelain factories of the Ming Dynasty. "The exhibits represent our important research achievements in recent years, including the imperial porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty and Hongwu Period (1368-1398) and Zhengde Period (1506-1521) in the Ming Dynasty. Selected from ceramic wares, some of 136 exhibits will open to the public for the first time, ”JIANG said.

After the opening ceremony of the exhibition, JIANG showed in a lecture that the main characteristics and style changes of imperial porcelain of the Ming and Qing dynasties from the perspectives of culture, technology and art history.

Many students were attracted to the campus museum to view an exhibition displaying more than 100 porcelain relics unearthed and restored in Jingdezhen. (Imae by USTC campus museum)

"It is another opportunity for us to have a exhibition after ten years. I am glad to see we both can keep close cooperation and I hope we can bring more exhibitions to USTC," JIANG said.

President XI Jinping re-emphasized cultural self-confidence when meeting national political advisers on March 4. Jingdezhen porcelain is a brilliant name card for Chinese culture to go worldwide.

TU Jing, the secretary of the Party committee of the School of Humanity and Social Sciences of USTC, said that porcelain has a long history in Chinese culture and in particular, the imperial porcelain of Jingdezhen has gained recognition along the Mari-time Silk Road as early as the 17th century. “Through this exhibition, we hope to share with our faculty and students the artistic interpretation of porcelain on history and life, the aesthetic concept contained in it and the pursuit of excellence embodied in it. As a good opportunity to bring us close to the charm of traditional culture, the exhibition will help diversify campus life and enhance quality-oriented education,” Tu said.

The exhibition will run until June 30.

(Written by XU Yue, School of Mathematical Sciences, edited by LIN Yujie, USTC News Center)