Date: Tuesday, 18th November
Location: Hong Kong Club
Registration: 18:00
Lecture: 18:30
Dinner: 20:00
Lecture only: (Free; pre-registration required) Public
Lecture & Dinner*: $1000 Members; $1100 Non-members
The Oriental Ceramic Society is delighted to announce that the 2024/2025 K.S. Lo Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Dr Chen Jie of the Shanghai Museum on New Light on Early Ming Imperial Porcelain Across the Indian Ocean.
The overseas circulation of early Ming imperial porcelain is a well-known phenomenon, yet its full story has remained incomplete. While its prestigious presence in the Middle East is widely recognized, its significant footprint in India and Indonesia has been largely overlooked.
This lecture aims to rectify this gap. Drawing upon new archaeological discoveries and evidence from Mughal inscriptions, collection provenances, and miniature paintings, Dr. Chen presents compelling evidence of the presence of early Ming imperial porcelain in these two regions.
The lecture will connect diverse historical sources—from Chinese records to Yemeni Rasulid manuscripts and Egyptian chronicles—to reconstruct the distinct circulation of imperial porcelain in the early 15th century. Dr Chen will explain the remarkable survival of these wares within the Islamic cultural sphere, illuminating the political and economic landscape of that period. Ultimately, her analysis will demonstrate porcelain’s specific role in diplomacy, tribute trade, and even the internal governance of the Ming emperors; and offer fresh perspectives on the motivations behind Zheng He’s legendary voyages.
Dr Chen Jie is Curator and Deputy Director of the Ceramics Department at the Shanghai Museum, and is a recipient of 2025 Asian Cultural Council Xiaoyang Yu Fellowship. Her academic expertise centers on Ming and Qing imperial porcelain, the history of the imperial kiln system, trade ceramics, and cross-cultural exchange. Her research approach emphasises the integration of historical documents and archaeological material. With over 15 years of fieldwork experience, Dr Chen has surveyed more than 150 kiln sites in China and conducted archaeological excavations and ceramic investigation across Asia, including Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Japan, Iran, and South Korea. She has published over forty academic papers on ceramics that span the Tang through Qing dynasties, and curated multiple exhibitions, with recent projects including “West Encounters East: A Cultural Conversation Between Chinese and European Ceramics” and “China and the World: Ceramics & Exchanges”.
This lecture is made free to members and available to the public through the generous support of the Lo Kwee Seong Foundation in honour of Dr KS Lo, one of the Society’s founding members.
*Please note that dinner reservations can only be confirmed upon payment and will be closed on 14th November at 12 noon.
Image: Courtesy of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Yongle period blue-and-white bottle with floral scrolls from Halmahera, Indonesia