And it Came From the Han's Kiln

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During one of my walks to familiarize myself with the area I had moved into for my second month in Guangzhou, I discovered a small museum. It took a few attempts before I actually was there when it was open to the public. The Guangzhou Pugong Handai Ceramic Museum is not a big place with a bit of a limited collection. They do cover indirectly 5 different dynasties (Han, Northern Qi, Tang, Song, and Ming) but mostly focuses on the Han Dynasty. Good reasons to visit it would be first and foremost the small price you pay for admission with your ID (or Passport) to see a good collection of ceramics. It is a small place, yes, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is a good place to have your first exposure to what earlier versions of Chinese ceramics and pottery was all about. I am definitely not an expert in any way in regards to ceramics which is why I have added the few notices telling me what the piece I was looking at was.



I do warn you that not all the pieces were labelled and many smaller pieces are put together on display without much information. I do believe they are all placed within the same dynasty age which means that if the one prior and the one after states it is ceramics from the same dynasty, the middle piece will be from that dynasty. They are also a very friendly staff present but unless you know Chinese well, it is not much help they can offer you. They do know the words “no flash” and do have a bilingual sign (Chinese and English) that warns you to not use flash photography which is not a problem since the pieces are well lit. The last comment I must make is that ceramics are not just bowls, cups, or plates. In this museum, you will find statues, wall decorations, replicas of buildings, and lamps (ornate candle holders) all made in ceramics. It was a short but very pleasant visit for me at the Guangzhou Pugong Handai Ceramic Museum.

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