A porcelain artwork on exhibition Photo: Courtesy of the National Art Museum of China

An exhibition featuring porcelain wares from Dehua, East China's Fujian Province, kicked off at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing on Friday. 

Dehua porcelain is extraordinarily pure and white because the kaolin earth in Dehua county has a low percentage of iron, making the porcelain stainless like white jade, earning it the French name Blanc de Chine.

Sitting in Quanzhou city, where the ancient Maritime Silk Road started, Dehua white porcelain has sold very well at home and abroad since the Song Dynasty (960-1279). In 2006, Dehua white porcelain was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage. 

According to Fang Junqin, head of Dehua county, the Dehua white porcelain has earned a name for itself as a Chinese cultural heritage and will continue to contribute to cultural exchanges. 

Titled Virtue Over the Land, Cultivates All by Hand, the exhibition features more than 150 porcelain wares covering figurines, decorative objects and installation works. Through three sections, the exhibition showcases Dehua's porcelain art and techniques that have been passed down for generations. 

The exhibition is set to run until August 9.