Ancient imperial enamel works shine at Beijing Design Week

A replica of an ancient royal enamel bowl, dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), is showcased at the Beijing Design Week on Sept 23, 2016. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A series of royal enamelware debuted at the Beijing Design Week on Friday, giving visitors a glimpse of the rare porcelains used only by the imperial family over 300 years ago.

The artistic works, 18 in total, are recreated by an expert team led by Sun Heyang, founder of the Beijing-based Zhenghegong enamel research institute. The new products not only revived the royal articles used in ancient times but also combined them with modern aesthetic taste to meet today's needs.

Among the newly unveiled articles, the most eye-catching ones include a complete replica of an antique bowl originally made during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a figure of a phoenix - an auspicious bird in Chinese mythology, and a pair of cups featuring flowers and butterflies - symbolizing romantic love.

"Enamelware were a symbol of power and wealth in ancient times, but by recreating them today, we hope more people could learn about and own them," said Sun at Friday's launch.

"I also hope that the art treasure, which represented the pinnacle of Chinese ceramic art, could be spread to the world via our efforts."

The project was jointly launched by Zhenghegong, the Great Seed Inc. - a Chinese company dedicated to promote traditional Chinese craft, and startup company Easy Funding.