36 million chicken cup meets the public

Chinese antique collector Liu Yiqian, founder of Long Museum, shows the porcelain chicken cup of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Emperor Chenghua period, which was bought for $36 million at a Hong Kong auction, during a delivery ceremony at an artwork bonded warehouse in Shanghai, China, December 17, 2014. [Photo/IC]

The $36 million chicken cup purchased by collector Liu Yiqian officially meets the public at an elaborately planned exhibition in Liu's Long Museum in Shanghai.

The world of Zhu Jianshen: A Chinese emperor's life and his era – Chenghua doucai chicken cup special exhibition kicked off at the Long Museum West Bund in Shanghai on Dec 18. The exhibition will run through Feb 8.

"The purpose of the exhibition is to let people know the history and culture behind the chicken cup, instead of its sky high price," Liu Yiqian said, "I think the chicken cup is an epoch-making item."

According to the newspaper Beijing News, Liu hopes that the exhibition will be unique. "I want it to be special, unconventional, and surprises audiences. I want to show them that how modern museums display their collections," he said.

Curator of the exhibition Xie Xiaodong said that ceramics, paintings and calligraphy from the Chenghua period is rare. "People used to pay more attention to the cup's price and its artistic value, but we hope we can guide visitors to re-explore the history of the Ming Dynasty through the chicken cup," he said.