Guangzhou exhibition showcases 'Princess Yushu', centuries of porcelain tradition

Everlasting Renewal: Blanc de Chine, an exhibition at Guangdong Museum of Art, features the stunning porcelain statue "Princess Yushu". (PARKER ZHENG / CHINA DAILY)

An exhibition celebrating Blanc de Chine, or "white from China," is running through March 15 at the Guangdong Museum of Art, featuring the stunning porcelain statue "Princess Yushu"— a figure renowned for a robe "as thin as a cicada's wing."

Titled Everlasting Renewal: Blanc de Chine, the exhibition honors the porcelain-making tradition from Dehua, a county in central Fujian under the administration of Quanzhou city. With a population under 300,000, Dehua boasts over 3,700 years of pottery history.

The French name "Blanc de Chine" was given to Dehua porcelain for its exceptional quality and refined artistry.

The exhibition is divided into four thematic sections — "grand ritual wares," "ancient and new wares," "future wares," and "wares of daily life" — guiding visitors through the evolution of this revered craft.

"Princess Yushu," a netizen's nickname for an artwork by master ceramist Lian Deli, draws inspiration from a character in the 2005 film The Myth. The statue gained instant online fame after its debut at the National Museum of China, captivating viewers with its meticulous depiction of a chiffon robe and hair, which measure no more than 0.2 millimeters at their thickest and appear almost translucent.

Lian spent six months and endured more than 100 failed attempts to create the exquisite piece. In earlier interviews, he said that achieving the result required not only a self-developed "thin-layer porcelain clothing technique" but also a bit of luck.

Check out the amazing porcelain through the lens of China Daily photographer Parker Zheng.