Introduction
Qianlong Emperor's imperial poetries are artifacts that are described as "as scarce and precious as the morning star." The emperor's statement "Viewing Guan (Official) wares of the Zhao-Song dynasty as morning stars" reveals how dearly he valued the precious treasures in Song Guan porcelains. The National Palace Museum (NPM) houses a collection of Song porcelains that feature unparalleled texture, elegant and graceful shapes, warm and gentle glaze, and fine and delicate quality, which continue to mesmerize the public, who regularly describes them as "[possessing beauty that resembles] the clearing of the sky after a storm."
The NPM's Precious as the Morning Star: 12th-14th Century Celadons in the Qing Court Collection special exhibition was organized by Chief Curator Yu Pei-chin, who has developed a wealth of expertise in porcelains after years of study. She researched and read literature (including those on modern archaeological excavations) as well as found answers to related research questions, enabling her to write the article "Qing Court's Song and Yuan Celadon Collection and Related Matters." She offered in-depth information by adopting a professional and rigorous attitude, provided celadon-related academic literature, and explained the appearance, shapes, and glaze of celadons to bring readers into the world of celadons. The goal was to provide them with professional porcelain knowledge so that they too could become experts.
The artistic achievements of the Song dynasty are magnificent and have a special place in Chinese ceramics history. The "Catalogue for the Precious as the Morning Star: 12th-14th Century Celadons in the Qing Court Collection Special Exhibition," themed on the said exhibition, introduces the NPM's celadon masterpieces that consist mainly of Song and Ru Ware artifacts. The catalogue is divided into chapters "Ru Wares and the Northern Song Official Kilns," "Southern Song Official Kilns," "Longquan Kilns ," and "The Crackle of Celadon," which explain the shapes and production (via the firing method) of the said artifacts and present similar-shaped ceramics to compare and contrast their similarities and differences in characteristics. Next, the article "Qing Court's Song and Yuan Celadon Collection and Related Matters" was added, in which a literature analysis and current archaeological evidence are provided to allow readers to learn and appreciate celadons from a variety of perspectives. The subject of celadons is one of the current focuses of the NPM, and the aforementioned book is a must-read for readers of all levels of celadon knowledge.