The Heritage Behind the Art

Known as China's "Porcelain Capital," Jingdezhen has been producing imperial-quality ceramics since the Song Dynasty. Its white kaolin clay and distinctive cobalt-blue decoration — the origins of "blue and white" — set the global standard for fine porcelain.

Chinese ink painting — landscapes, birds-and-flowers, figures — is among the world's longest continuous art traditions. Today's masters work in the same mediums as their Tang and Song predecessors while responding to contemporary life.

In China, calligraphy is the highest art form. The four script styles — seal, clerical, regular, and cursive — each have their masters, and contemporary calligraphers are pushing the form into entirely new visual territory.

From the world's earliest printed books to the social realist prints of the 20th century, printmaking has a central place in Chinese visual culture. Contemporary artists are reviving traditional techniques with modern subjects.