National Treasures

From pottery to ritual bronzes, jade burial suit, porcelain, embroidery and ornaments, every cultural relic witnesses the history of China and has an interesting story to tell. This series explores some of the greatest national treasures collected in the major museums of China.

Art & Culture

Golden bianzhong symbolizes a halcyon epoch in China's history

Emperor Qianlong's instrument was the first bianzhong that is completely made of gold and cost a whopping 13,600 taels (425 kilograms).

2019-07-12 16:07 0

Art & Culture

'Pot of Peace' led to an invasion

Standing at 31.3 centimeters tall, the indigo-glazed double-swallow-handled pot with designs of coiling peonies outlined in gold is a masterpiece from the early Qing Dynasty.

2019-06-17 14:22 0

Art & Culture

The 'magical' moon-white zun

In the ceramics collection, an elegant vase stands out from the rest for its simplicity. It is the Moon-White Glazed Zun (vase) with Protruding Ridges.

2019-05-31 17:04 0

Art & Culture

Exquisite, the captivating beauty of ancient Jun ceramic treasures

"Exquisite! What an extremely rare treasure!"

2019-05-23 11:05 0

Art & Culture

A pillow's comforting history

Unlike today's soft pillows filled with synthetic fiber, down and feather, ancient Chinese pillows were extremely firm, made of wood, stone, copper or porcelain.

2019-04-30 16:19 0

Art & Culture

A trusty steed for the afterlife

Yellow, green and white are the three predominant colors associated with the ceramics of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). For that reason, the name sancai is given to the artifacts.

2019-04-20 12:21 0