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One man's passion for porcelain
By Wu Huixin and Xu Wenwen |
June 26, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MUSEUM visitors wander among display cases of porcelain and ceramics, they stop and discuss the work and check the year. But what they talk about most is the fact that this museum is private, run by a businessman.
The Tu Huo Zhai Ancient Ceramics Museum in Jiubao Town, Hangzhou, opened last week and though it's a private museum, it exhibits more than 1,200 works from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) through the Republic of China Period (1911-1949), and most are from the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
Its founder Yu Youming is in the clothing business but he has been collecting ceramics and porcelain for 16 years. The museum has been a decade-long dream and all the exhibits are from his own collection.
"I love collecting and since I've collected so many I feel I am responsible to share them with everybody," Yu says.
All he wants to do is make a contribution to society, Yu says. Admission is free.
Yu started to plan the museum two years ago. The meaning of tu is soil and the meaning of huo is fire, two elements necessary for making porcelain. The word zhai is a poetic term for studio. Thus, museum's theme, porcelain.
The 1,600-square-meter museum includes 700 square meters of exhibition space. There's also a reading room.
To save rent, Yu established his museum in his own three-floor house near Jiubao Garment Accessory Market, and renovated the interior. All items in Yu's collection have been officially authenticated; nearly 300 are national level 2 and 3 artifacts.
The businessman spent almost all his funds purchasing porcelain and he has taken out loans of more than 50 million yuan (US$7.8 million) to buy relics in China and abroad.
But he does not buy them for investment purposes. Though several items have increased more than 10 times in value, Yu has rejected all offers.
"I buy because I like, not for investment. I want to supplement exhibits in official museums that don't feature so many works in the Ming and Qing dynasties," he says.
In addition to collecting large numbers of dynastic porcelain from imperial kilns (guan yao), Yu has also collected many works from folk kilns (min yao). Official museums mostly collect works from imperial kilns.
Compared with products of the imperial kilns, the works from folk kilns depict daily life in ancient times. As for techniques, some works from so-called folk kilns rival those of imperial kilns.
In the museum, the 1,200 pieces are arranged in four series: Qing Dynasty Imperial Kiln, Qing Dynasty Private Kiln, Ming Dynasty Porcelain Series and the Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) Series.
In 1996 Yu visited Hong Kong and happened to walk into the Tin Ming House which featured many exquisite porcelain works. He was dazzled, and hooked. Today he can tell with a glance the period of a particular piece of porcelain.
"At first I was amazed by the exquisite techniques and gradually enchanted by the culture behind it, so I want to let more people know that Chinese porcelain conveys Chinese culture. That's why I opened the museum," he says.
But running a private museum is hard, because of financial and other difficulties.
Earlier this year Shanghai Shihua Gallery was closed after three years, after the developer, who had promised to lease it rent-free for five years, changed his mind.
Though Yu receives some financial support from the local government, he worries about raising capital to operate the museum and buy new collections, costing millions of yuan a year.
Still he expects to open a second museum within five years, displaying works certified at national level 2.
Address: Hanghai Rd, Jiubao Garment Accessory Market
Hours: Daily, 9am-5pm, (closed on Mondays)
Admission: Free
The Tu Huo Zhai Ancient Ceramics Museum in Jiubao Town, Hangzhou, opened last week and though it's a private museum, it exhibits more than 1,200 works from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) through the Republic of China Period (1911-1949), and most are from the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
Its founder Yu Youming is in the clothing business but he has been collecting ceramics and porcelain for 16 years. The museum has been a decade-long dream and all the exhibits are from his own collection.
"I love collecting and since I've collected so many I feel I am responsible to share them with everybody," Yu says.
All he wants to do is make a contribution to society, Yu says. Admission is free.
Yu started to plan the museum two years ago. The meaning of tu is soil and the meaning of huo is fire, two elements necessary for making porcelain. The word zhai is a poetic term for studio. Thus, museum's theme, porcelain.
The 1,600-square-meter museum includes 700 square meters of exhibition space. There's also a reading room.
To save rent, Yu established his museum in his own three-floor house near Jiubao Garment Accessory Market, and renovated the interior. All items in Yu's collection have been officially authenticated; nearly 300 are national level 2 and 3 artifacts.
The businessman spent almost all his funds purchasing porcelain and he has taken out loans of more than 50 million yuan (US$7.8 million) to buy relics in China and abroad.
But he does not buy them for investment purposes. Though several items have increased more than 10 times in value, Yu has rejected all offers.
"I buy because I like, not for investment. I want to supplement exhibits in official museums that don't feature so many works in the Ming and Qing dynasties," he says.
In addition to collecting large numbers of dynastic porcelain from imperial kilns (guan yao), Yu has also collected many works from folk kilns (min yao). Official museums mostly collect works from imperial kilns.
Compared with products of the imperial kilns, the works from folk kilns depict daily life in ancient times. As for techniques, some works from so-called folk kilns rival those of imperial kilns.
In the museum, the 1,200 pieces are arranged in four series: Qing Dynasty Imperial Kiln, Qing Dynasty Private Kiln, Ming Dynasty Porcelain Series and the Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) Series.
In 1996 Yu visited Hong Kong and happened to walk into the Tin Ming House which featured many exquisite porcelain works. He was dazzled, and hooked. Today he can tell with a glance the period of a particular piece of porcelain.
"At first I was amazed by the exquisite techniques and gradually enchanted by the culture behind it, so I want to let more people know that Chinese porcelain conveys Chinese culture. That's why I opened the museum," he says.
But running a private museum is hard, because of financial and other difficulties.
Earlier this year Shanghai Shihua Gallery was closed after three years, after the developer, who had promised to lease it rent-free for five years, changed his mind.
Though Yu receives some financial support from the local government, he worries about raising capital to operate the museum and buy new collections, costing millions of yuan a year.
Still he expects to open a second museum within five years, displaying works certified at national level 2.
Address: Hanghai Rd, Jiubao Garment Accessory Market
Hours: Daily, 9am-5pm, (closed on Mondays)
Admission: Free
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