In ancient China, each color had a designated symbolic meaning in different dynasties. For imperial porcelain production, in particular, the design and color were highly influenced by the aesthetic taste, artistic achievements and religious beliefs of the emperor. 

Yellow was the imperial color. Bright yellow was the supreme color reserved strictly for the emperor, the empress dowager and the empress only. 

Apart from everyday objects, imperial garments were the best way to reflect the supreme status of the emperor through colors and decorative motifs. 

During the Qing dynasty, bright yellow dragon robe adorned with the “Twelve Imperial Symbols” was a costume that could be worn only by the emperor. The symbols include the sun, moon, constellations, mountains and a pair of dragons, symbolizing the virtues of the emperor. 

The Chinese Antiquities collection has the widest ranging and oldest art objects and artefacts at the HKMoA. Totaling more than 4,500 items or sets, it includes ceramics produced by various kilns for domestic and export, textiles and other categories such as bronzes, jade carving, lacquer ware, enamel ware, glassware, bamboo carving, wood carving, ivory carving, rhinoceros horn and furniture. Among them, ceramics are the most representative, accounting for over half of the collection and spanning the period from Neolithic to the twentieth century. Fashioned for use in everyday life, as ritual objects, as mingqi (brurial objects) or purely for decoration, each and every piece has fortunately been preserved through the ages, escaping the ravages of time to form an essential part of China's rich cultural heritage. The Chinese Antiquities Collection embody a high degree of creativity and technological skill and thus provide invaluable materials for studying Chinese ancient society and culture.

Given Hong Kong's geographic location, it is natural that tangible art objects of southern China should be a central focus of our collection. As part of our mission to promote the understanding and appreciation of Chinese cultural relics, the Museum has been ardent in its efforts to acquire outstanding artefacts for display, while our collection has been tremendously enriched by generous donations and bequests from the public. Among the most significant of these are a collection of bamboo carvings received from the estate of Dr Ip Yee in 1985, which highlights the close relationship between this art form and the lifestyle of the Chinese scholar, and two collections of Shiwan pottery donated by Woo Kam Chiu in 1986 and by Mrs Kwok On in 1987, which bear testimony to the achievements of the celebrated Guangdong kiln. Equally important, however, are the many other donations our museum have received from numerous different institutions and individuals, and their generosity not only reflects their support of our museum, but is also indicative of the growing awareness of the need to preserve our cultural heritage.

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Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA)

Stem-bowl with anhua dragon design in tianbai glaze

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Pair of yellow dishes incised with dragon and phoenix design

This bright-yellow dragon robe has a round collar, overlapping lapel and horse-hoof cuffs. The robe is embroidered with three dragons on the chest and at the back – one front-facing, and two in profile. In addition, there are two front-facing dragons on either shoulder, and one on the inner facing which only becomes visible when the lapel is turned down. Therefore it makes a total of nine dragons on one robe, with five always in view from whatever angle. This is an indication of the Emperor's status as the "Son of Heaven". A dragon robe of this design is the emperor's formal attire for rituals and ceremonies.

The Twelve Imperial Symbols are unique to dragon robes worn by the Qing emperors. They symbolize a ruler's power and embodiment of the highest virtues. The twelve symbols are: the Sun, representing the illumination of the myriad things; the Moon, representing yin-yang balance; a constellation of Stars, representing harmony with the heavenly laws; mountains, representing steadfastness; dragon patterns, representing deft adaptation to change; the huachong pheasant standing on one leg, representing impressive literary cultivation; a pair of yi libation cups meant for ancestral worship, representing loyalty and filial piety, wisdom and courage; water weed, representing purity and cleanness; flame, representing brightness; millet, representing material plenitude; a sacrificial axe, representing decisive and acute judgment; and a fu symbol, representing the ability to distinguish clearly between right and wrong. Since the Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE), there had been multiple interpretations of the twelve symbols, but generally speaking they were thought to signify the worship of Heaven, glorification of ancestors, making-manifest of ritual propriety, and veneration of morality.


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Bright yellow dragon robe with the twelve imperial symbols

Ru, Ding, Ge, Jun and Guan are traditionally considered the five classic kilns of the Song dynasty. Ru ware produced during the early 12th century are extremely rare today, with less than 70 works extant . Accompanying this washer is a document written by a gentleman called Chen Yuanhui, which dates to be one autumn day in the Bingwu year of the Guangxu period (1906). According to it, Chen's father Chen Rui'an acquired the washer in Liulichang in Beijing. Originally it carried an inscription of a poem by Emperor Qianlong, written in the Jihai year (1779), on the base, which reads:
At Ruzhou during the Song Dynasty, a celadon ware used agate powder as its glaze. No like artifice Jingdezhen could devise, with an emerald-like blue hue floating on the surface.
Chen Rui'an had the inscription removed for fear that the possession of a piece from the Qing imperial collection might prove to be incriminating. Similar collections can be found in the Taipei Palace Museum and the David Foundation of Chinese Art in London.

Standards for Hiding and looking for the antidote at the Chinese Antiquities Gallery