Porcelain House

Porcelain House

In Tianjin stands a small French-style building brimming with European charm. After four years of meticulous craftsmanship by business "prodigy" Zhang Lianzhi, it has undergone a magnificent transformation—wrapped in an "exotic Chinese exterior" woven from ancient porcelain shards. Now richly vintage in style, it is truly one-of-a-kind, becoming a stunning attraction in Tianjin that captivates domestic and international visitors alike.

The "Porcelain House" is located on Chifeng Road in Heping District, right in the heart of the bustling downtown area. Just a stone's throw away is the former residence of General Zhang Xueliang. Covering nearly 4,000 square meters, the roof is adorned with hundreds of thousands of ancient porcelain pieces forming a 768-meter-long bas-relief of a dragon. Looking up at this magnificent dragon soaring above, you’ll see auspicious clouds swirling around it, with the most eye-catching detail being the prominently inlaid word “CHINA.” A love for ceramics, a heart for China—standing there, you can feel the reverence and pride welling up in the heart of the owner of the Porcelain House.

The tall Western-style building is completely covered in broken porcelain pieces. Shards from kilns of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties sparkle brilliantly under the sunlight, exuding a unique charm. Even more astonishing are the famous calligraphy and paintings from ancient to modern times and across the world, all pieced together from ancient porcelain fragments and hung on the interior walls. Upon closer inspection, you’ll find masterpieces by painting and calligraphy artists from various dynasties, such as the Tang Dynasty’s “Five Oxen,” the Song Dynasty’s “Ancient Trees and Exotic Rocks,” and the Yuan Dynasty’s “Eagle and Pine Tree.” Each floor displays four to five such artworks, ranging from Mi Fu to Xu Beihong, and from “Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk” to the “Mona Lisa”—a dazzling array. The outer wall of the Porcelain House is called the “Wall of Peace,” with “Ping” (peace) being a homophone for “Ping” (vase). This wall is constructed by stacking and connecting a total of 635 antique porcelain vases from the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era, presenting an extraordinary and imposing sight.

To decorate this "Porcelain House," over 4,000 ancient porcelain items, more than 400 pieces of white marble carvings, over 20 tons of crystal stones and agate, nearly 100 porcelain cat pillows, and more than 300 stone lions of varying ages and sizes were used. The unique creativity and massive investment are both surprising and perfectly fitting.

The inspiration for building the "Porcelain House" came directly from the Huayun Museum—the first private museum in Tianjin—founded by Zhang Lianzhi, the then-owner of the Porcelain House and an antique collector. One wall of the Huayun Museum is inlaid with ancient porcelain fragments, which received high praise from finance ministers visiting Tianjin back in 2002. To further introduce Chinese porcelain to the world and showcase the long-standing brilliance of Chinese civilization, Zhang Lianzhi conceived the idea of decorating the Porcelain House.