Ancient porcelain on show at West Lake

An exhibition of porcelain from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) is on beside Hangzhou’s West Lake until February 25. Qingbaici (൞ӣٍ), literally green and white ceramics, will give visitors an insight into the aesthetics of that ancient period.

Muted shades and quiet simplicity are the main features of the items on display. They fuse the characteristics from celadon in southern China and white porcelain in northern China, and have been compared to jade because of the similar texture and finish.

In ancient times, Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province was the production center. However, Zhejiang Province rose up as a new market because of its craftsmen’s spirit of exploration and ability to learn.

Most of the exhibits are from museums across Zhejiang, especially Taishun, Yueqing, Cangnan, Jiangshan and Jinhua where there were kilns firing qingbaici all those years ago.

Qingbaici found favor with Song people by virtue of its simplicity, since royal court gave priority to the humanities and turned to people’s inner emotions and a minimalist art style that was evidenced by a large number of preserved artworks.

The displayed tea potteries, wine containers and vases reflected Song people’s lifestyle and aesthetics. Ancient scholars lived an artistic and refined life, which included tea drinking, flower arranging and wine tasting.

The exhibits give us an idea of how these scholars lived, created and worked. The literati sought poetic meaning from utensils. They preferred qingbaici for drinking tea and tasting wine.

Different from previous dynasties, unconstrained drinking was replaced by etiquette. The exhibits prove that people used a set of vessels to drink wine and tea according to fixed procedures.

The exhibition also showcases meiping and wenwan. Meiping is tall, with a narrow base spreading gracefully into a wide body, followed by a sharply rounded shoulder, a short and narrow neck and a small opening. It was traditionally used to hold plum branches, but lately was used to contain wine.

Wenwan is the ancient version of thermal insulation bowls. It has two layers for better insulation properties. People could pour hot water in the outside layer to keep wine warm in winter. This type was commonly found in Song Dynasty tombs in Zhejiang Province.

Song people also absorbed elements from Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism and applied them to the design of ceramic vessels. For instance, they sublimated the sensual experience of burning incense in temples and made a number of qingbaici censers.

Porcelain censers were more popular than metal versions during the Song period. Goblets and cylindershape censers were common in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), while versions imitating millenniaold bronze vessels found favor in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

The tradition of burning incense was popular in Zhejiang, which in turn boosted the production of censers. A number of excavated and exhibited censers verified the Song Dynasty aesthetics of minimalism in religion.

Unlike previous dynasties where luxurious vessels were made of gold and silver, the Song Dynasty turned to ceramics.

Flower arranging was another epitome of the then aesthetics.

During that period, flowers symbolized lifestyles, character and cultural identities. Flower arranging was an activity for scholars, who believed it showed the arranger’s philosophy and morality.

Popular shapes of Song-style vases included meiping and antique styles modelled after vessels from the Shang (c.16th century-11th century BC) and Han (206 BC-AD 220) dynasties. The exhibits testify to the social trend then.

Qingbaici were not only welcomed by the literati, but also popular with ordinary people.

Low price, smooth texture and sanitary properties made them the first choice for food utensils. They accounted for the majority of production in both Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces. The exhibited food containers reflect the changes of tableware and the culinary culture of the Song Dynasty.

Qingbaici were also the main cosmetic vessels for Song women. The powder inside has disappeared over time, but the containers have been preserved in tombs. Among the exhibits, these vessels have more vivid shapes than other utensils. A displayed jar is made up of two saucers with two lids in the shape of mandarin ducks. It was used to contain pigment for lips or eyebrows.

Date: Through February 25, closed on Mondays

Venue: Gushan Pavilion of Zhejiang Museum

Address: 25 Gushan Rd

Admission: Free