Ceramic works echo emperor's aesthetics

Eight peaches and five bats are dispersed throughout the plate's inner and outer sides. The peach symbolizes vigor and prosperity, while the bat implies auspiciousness in Chinese folk tradition. The second half of bat's Mandarin pronunciation, as fu from bian fu, is the same as that of fortune and bliss.

"A closer look at the peaches shows the smooth transition from rosy hues to light green, indicating the integration of Western painting skills. The leaves have varied degrees of green, giving the audience a feel of the fruit's ripeness," Li adds.

"The inner motifs merge with the outer ones. The branches and leaves connect the inner and outer parts into a perfect whole, which exhibits the artistic height of Yongzheng porcelain."