However, its operation only lasted for 20 years. Despite this, many artisans in later periods of history wanted to recover the craftsmanship of such exquisite pieces. For example, during the reigns of the Yongzheng (1722-35) and Qianlong (1736-95) emperors in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) artisans were ordered to imitate Ru Kiln porcelains.

Those products were seen by the author Cao Xueqin, whose family once worked for the royal family to purchase collections. Consequently, in his novel The Story of Stone, also known as Dream of the Red Chamber, he mentions and describes Ru Kiln porcelain several times.

To raise awareness of this timeless artistic heritage, in April a competition was launched in Henan province calling for inheritors of intangible cultural heritages to recover artifacts mentioned in the novel. All the exhibits are winners of the competition, and were chosen from over 200 artifacts submitted for the activity.

The exhibition will run through Nov 23.