LIFE / CULTURE
Porcelain exhibition of images of ancient women debuts in E. China to celebrate International Women’s Day
Published: Mar 08, 2023 07:54 PM

The Republic of China Period Photo:Courtesy of Zhejiang Provincial Museum

The Republic of China period Photo: Courtesy of Zhejiang Provincial Museum


"Porcelain images of ancient women," an exhibitions also known as "Beauties in Paintings, " debuts on Wednesday in East China's Zhejiang Provincial Museum to mark the International Women's Day. 

A total of 80 pieces (groups) of porcelain painted with female images selected from Zhejiang Provincial Museum, Jiangxi Provincial Museum, Jingdezhen China Ceramic Museum and Jiangxi Cultural Relics Exchange Center, are on display, showing images of women not only from Chinese myths and legends, folk stories, but also in daily life  in ancient time.

The People's Republic of China Period Photo:Courtesy of Zhejiang Provincial Museum

The People's Republic of China period Photo: Courtesy of Zhejiang Provincial Museum


Qing Dynasty Period Photo:Courtesy of Zhejiang Provincial Museum

Qing Dynasty period Photo: Courtesy of Zhejiang Provincial Museum

"The exhibition aims to respond to the highly-debated women's topics, to involve ancient relics in the discussion of contemporary feminism,  provoke the audience to think about the plight and breakthroughs of women and true equality between the sexes, so as to better realize the museum's mission to serve society and its development," Ni Mengting, an executive curator of the "Beauties in Paintings" exhibition series of Zhejiang Provincial Museum, told the Global Times on Tuesday.  

Chinese porcelain is rich in decorative patterns, among which female figures are commonly found on porcelain. The images of women not only have strong decorative and artistic ornamental effect, but also carry deep historical and cultural connotations. 

The exhibition is divided into three sections based on the identity of the women figures depicted through porcelain. 

Myths come from ancient people's primitive imagination of the world, and the goddess is one of the most beautiful visions. They are as bright as the moon, like fairies in the sky and full of feminine and elegant beauty. This unit exhibits porcelain painted with mythological images of Chang'e, Goddess of Luo River, Ma Gu, He Xiangu, a fairy girl in the Chinese legend of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, to express the good wishes and morals of the ancient people. 

Qing Dynasty Period Photo:Courtesy of Zhejiang Provincial Museum

Qing Dynasty period Photo: Courtesy of Zhejiang Provincial Museum

 
The porcelain on display in the second unit is painted with folk tale characters such as the Lady White Snake, Cui Yingying, Hua Mulan and Wang Zhaojun.

The female figures painted on porcelain exhibited in the third part, though all without names, presenting the most ordinary and realistic pictures of women's lives in traditional society. They are the most real life of ordinary women. 

The Republic of China Period Photo: Courtesy of Zhejiang Provincial Museum

The Republic of China period Photo: Courtesy of Zhejiang Provincial Museum


"The images of women on these porcelains show us the temperament and charm belonging to women since ancient times, and demonstrate the diverse female power, which hopefully guides contemporary viewers to express themselves," Ni told the Global Times.