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Song porcelain

The making of ceramics is a work of clay and fire. The various styles of Chinese ceramics show ancient people's takes on beauty, lifestyle and the relation between humans and nature. It is through vivid colors, shapes and patterns of semi-translucent objects that people today can understand how their ancestors realized the aesthetics of their time. Lustrous and Vibrant, an exhibition now on at Chengdu Museum, Sichuan province, sheds light on the art of Song Dynasty (960-1279) porcelain, which, along with poetry, paintings and calligraphy, leveraged the cultural accomplishments of the Song era. The exhibition, which runs through October, brings together over 350 fine porcelain pieces that took shape at the renowned production hubs of the era — the Ding, Ru, Guan, Ge and Jun kilns. The monochromatic objects, glaring with elegance and serenity, well define Song aesthetics that accentuated simplicity and a leisurely way of living. The exhibition also shows ceramics from other periods in history to present an overall picture of Chinese porcelain. For example, it displays a Tang Dynasty (618-907) vase belonging to the mise (mysterious color) category. Mise porcelain normally features a grayish-green glaze, and such wares are believed to have been owned and viewed exclusively by royals.

9 am-5 pm, Tuesday to Thursday, Sunday; 9 am-8:30 pm, Friday and Saturday. 1 Xiaohe Street, Qingyang district, Chengdu, Sichuan province.028-6827-7011.