A Black-Glazed Gold Lines ‘Circular Flower’ Cup [Photo/ english.cguardian.com]

The black-glazed porcelain, originating from the East Han Dynasty, was one of the most important kinds of wares in Chinese history. The ancient Chinese loved black deeply and called black the ‘king of the colors’ since black represented the sky in The Book of Changes, which was the oldest of the Chinese classics. The cup above combines a vivid figure and mystic color perfectly, featuring a high level of black glazed porcelain craftsmanship during the Qianglong period.