Lacquerware and porcelain are significant in the history of Chinese civilisation. Lingnan University’s Chamber of Young Snow Art Exhibition Hall is hosting a new exhibition, titled ‘Shine and Shade, Earth and Wood: The Story of Everyday Porcelain and Lacquer’ from 17 February to 2 December 2025 featuring over 30 rare and exquisite lacquer and porcelain pieces from the Tang to the Qing dynasties. Experts and academics from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Zhejiang Provincial Museum will lecture on the culture, design, and academic research of Chinese handicrafts, and Lingnan will also organise two workshops on ‘The Beauty of Everyday: Experience Session on Chinese Lacquer Decorations’. The public is welcome to register and participate.
Curated by the Department of Digital Arts and Creative Industries at Lingnan University with generous support from the Chamber of Young Snow, which promotes cultural exchanges between the East and West, the exhibition invites the public to explore Chinese everyday life and culture, and provides insights into the material characteristics, craftsmanship, production models, and interwoven histories of lacquerware and porcelain, offering the audience insights into the formation and changes in Chinese daily life culture.
Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University, expressed his gratitude to Chamber of Young Snow for their invaluable support, which has made it possible for Lingnan University to host this exhibition and related public engagement activities. These initiatives showcase the brilliance of traditional Chinese art and further promote the preservation of cultural heritage. He encouraged the public to appreciate the rich stories embedded in traditional Chinese art and to explore their cultural significance in the contemporary world through this new exhibition.
DrStephen Suen, founder of Chamber of Young Snow, expressed through his representative his delight that the exhibition highlights the philosophical depth of Chinese art through the Chamber’s collection. He particularly praised the bilingual exhibition booklet compiled by the curatorial team, recognising its dual academic and educational significance. Dr Suen stressed that aesthetic appreciation is a universal language and hopes this exhibition would foster deeper connections among people from both the East and the West through the shared experience of art and culture.
The exhibition features everyday objects from the Tang to the Qing dynasties, with research extending from the seventh to the early 20th century. The various aspects of daily life explored include dining, scholarly appreciation, and incense rituals, divided into two parts: the first, ‘Lacquer’s Shade’, focuses on lacquer dishes, trays, and boxes from the Yuan to the Qing dynasties, highlighting two classic techniques: red carved lacquer, and black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay. The second part, ‘Porcelain’s Shine’, examines the forms and decorative techniques of porcelain with both monochrome and painted porcelain vases, pots, bowls, cups, and plates from the Tang to the Qing dynasties.
Since lacquer and porcelain are entirely different natural materials, each marking a key point in the history of Chinese material culture, their emergence and convergence transformed daily life, leaving an enduring impact to this day. Lacquer, made from processed tree sap, boasts a long history but is no longer a primary material for everyday objects. Porcelain on the other hand is composed of refined clay fired at high temperatures, and glazed to increase its durability and aesthetic appeal. This exhibition hopes visitors will gain new insights from seemingly ordinary everyday items and develop a deeper understanding of the intricate relationship between people and objects.
Pieces in the exhibition include:
1). A Qing dynasty fencai bowl with a peony pattern on coral-red ground. Produced during the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, bowls with this design bearing the Qianlong reign mark are relatively rare.
2). A Southern Song green and white glazed, lidded, octagonal bottle with a plum blossom pattern. The plum blossom carvings are on all eight sides, their intricate patterns and outstanding craftsmanship creating a three-dimensional effect. This piece is extremely rare, especially because it has a lid. While similar bottles have been found in Anhui, none has a lid.
3). A square Ming dynasty carved red, yellow-ground lacquer box with a dragon and tian xia tai ping characters design. Crafted during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the intricately carved lacquer dragon is beautifully sculpted in relief, and set against a delicate yellow-ground openwork design. The exceptionally fine floral medallion on the lid is inscribed with the four characters tian xia tai ping 天下太平 (peace under heaven).
4). A rectangular Qing dynasty black lacquer inkstick box with the two dragons in pursuit of a flaming pearl in thin mother-of-pearl inlay. This imperial ink box is displayed alongside its twelve ink cakes. Complete sets of imperial ink cakes in their original boxes are rare, and most are in the Palace Museums in Beijing and Taipei.
In the introductory session, DrYang Lok-man, Curator of the Department of Digital Arts and Creative Industries of Lingnan University, explained that the exhibition demonstrates the evolution of Chinese daily life through these objects. She hopes that the public will appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship of the artefacts and reflect on the historical memories of these objects, which continue to shape contemporary life.
Lingnan University will also hold a lecture series entitled ‘Entwined Paths: A Historical Dialogue between Lacquer and Porcelain’ on 25 and 27 March. Speakers will be Dr Helen Glaister, Arts of Asia Course Director at the V&A Museum, and Dr Wang Guanyu, Associate Curator of Antiquities at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The three-session series will explore the cultural and design interaction between lacquer and porcelain. Ms Fan Peiling, Director of the Craft Department at Zhejiang Provincial Museum, will host a discussion on 26 March, on the history of and research in Chinese lacquerware. The lectures are free of charge, and the public is welcome to register and attend.
Lingnan University will also hold two workshops, ‘The Beauty of Everyday: Experience Session on Chinese Lacquer Decorations’, showing the creative process and joy of traditional Chinese handicrafts. Unique artworks will be created on site, and the work of craftsmen of the past discussed.