Beijing Hotels: Nearby Dazhetang Porcelain Shop

Located in biggest antique city in west Beijing, DaZeTang is a  shop selling old-time porcelain or ceramic ware.

I was impressed by the shop owner,Mr Xie's knowledge about porcelain. He is a golden winner of CCTV ceramic connoisseur contest, and is very talkative.

He showed me a pair of hat-hangers made around 1912. During that period, workers used Fen Cai, a kind of porcelain coloring skill, to portrait the beautiful patterns on wares. But it was later found Fen Cai items contained lead that may impair people's health. So European applique technique was adopted to replace Fen Cai. The couple items are sold at RMB 3500.

Mr Xie is also a good story teller. Almost every ceramic ware in his shop has a story, like this porridge vase. It was made in early Ming Dynasty about 700 years ago,telling a story about a famous calligrapher from Song Dynasty, Mi Fu. Mi Fu often realized the spirit of calligraph by examining stones and bamboos. And he perfected the stability and tenacity of Chinese characters by studying the growth of the natural creatures. The story contains a philosophy: calligraph training is something beyond calligraph itself. I interpret as it is important to cultivate natural mood to produce good works. The price is pegged at RMB 3000.

If you want to know more about Chinese porcelain making and history, come to visit Mr Xie's shop, and he would be like to help.