Xi Jinping calls rare Yuan vases "panda of ceramics" in discussion of cultural heritage

In 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping told foreign leaders at a Beijing exhibition that surviving Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain pieces were as rare as giant pandas, standing before a vase more than 700 years old. The remark occurred ahead of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations. State media recently revisited the comment while covering Xi’s October 2023 inspection of Jingdezhen, the historic ceramics capital, where he toured ancient kiln sites and a museum, praised an artisan’s skills, and discussed cultural heritage preservation. The Yuan pottery, made with cobalt pigment from West Asia via the Silk Road, represents a peak of cross-cultural exchange and is seen as emblematic of Chinese civilization’s continuity.