Porcelain House (Chifeng Road)

Porcelain House (Chifeng Road)

The Porcelain House (Chifeng Road) is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

The Porcelain House (Chifeng Road) is a must-visit for every tourist coming to Tianjin. It is a French-style building decorated with hundreds of thousands of antique porcelain fragments.

Personally designed by the owner, Zhang Lianzhi, it is known as an invaluable “Chinese Ancient Porcelain Museum.”

The porcelain and fragments used in the Porcelain House date from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. In addition to the Five Great Kilns, kilns such as Longquan and Yaozhou are also represented. Nearly all types of official and folk kiln porcelain in China can be found here.

Over 400 million antique porcelain fragments, more than 5,000 ancient porcelain vases, over 4,000 ancient porcelain plates and bowls, over 20 tons of crystal stones and agate, more than 400 pieces of white marble carvings, and nearly 100 porcelain cat pillows have transformed a French-style building into an invaluable porcelain house. Even the outdoor drainpipes are wrapped in porcelain fragments, crystals, and Ming-Qing dynasty porcelain cat pillows.

Tianjin has a unique charm, which goes beyond just the fragrant Goubuli buns or the comic crosstalk performances. For instance, there are also Tianjin’s charming Western-style houses. The former concessions of nine countries—France, America, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and others—made Tianjin a museum of international architecture.

Now, Tianjin has added a new flavor—a uniquely Chinese, irreplaceable Ancient Porcelain Museum: the Porcelain House.

People say that embedding hundreds of millions of precious antique porcelain fragments onto an old building is an act of utter madness, so they simply call this house—the Crazy Porcelain House.

Calling this house crazy is not without reason. In 2005, a Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white jar sold for 235 million yuan at an auction in London. The owner, Zhang Lianzhi, used priceless Yuan and Ming blue-and-white and Wucai porcelain fragments to decorate the house just like bricks and tiles. Can you say he isn’t crazy?

The Porcelain House is located at No. 72 Chifeng Road, Heping District, Tianjin (now part of Tianjin’s commercial center). It is a French-style building with a history of over 100 years. The main building has five floors, with a four-story rectangular structure behind it and two approximately 200-square-meter wing rooms on either side, totaling over 3,000 square meters in floor area.

The site where the Porcelain House stands was originally called Commanders’ Street, home to many generals and military governors, including prominent figures like General Zhang Xueliang and Duan Qirui, who had residences here. Research shows the original owner was a central finance minister. After the liberation, the Heping District Industrial and Commercial Bureau of Tianjin began operating here, but after relocating, the site was left vacant and fell into disrepair for many years.

In September 2002, introduced by relevant parties, Mr. Zhang Lianzhi, President of Canton Fresh Cultural Industry Investment Group, purchased the property at great expense. Due to the building’s long history, many parts were decayed or collapsed. To preserve and repurpose the structure, Zhang Lianzhi began large-scale renovation work. Beyond reinforcing the external structure, the interior was hollowed out and strengthened; responding to government directives, the flat roof was converted into a pointed one; and the ordinary red-brick wing rooms on both sides were turned into transparent glass rooms. Subsequently, the work of affixing antique porcelain fragments began. The early stages of the project were very challenging, as it was an endeavor without any blueprints. The designer, Mr. Zhang Lianzhi, President of Canton Fresh Cultural Industry Group, had no background in design or architecture. Relying solely on his passion for art, he proceeded through trial and error. At first, porcelain fragments were constantly being applied and removed, but as Zhang’s vision matured, progress accelerated and the results became increasingly spectacular.

To date, the Porcelain House project has been ongoing for five years. Rough estimates indicate that over 400 million antique porcelain fragments (mainly from the Song and Yuan Dynasties, especially Jun porcelain, with some from Ru, Ding, and Longquan kilns, covering all types of official and folk kilns), more than 5,000 ancient porcelain vases (Tang Sancai, Yuan blue-and-white, Ming blue-and-white, Ming Wucai, Qing blue-and-white, Qing famille rose, Qing enamel colors, Qing Wucai, etc.), over 4,000 ancient porcelain plates and bowls (from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing periods), over 500 porcelain cats (mostly from the Ming and Qing Cizhou kilns), porcelain birds (Ming Sancai), over 300 stone lions (Han, Song, Yuan, and Ming white marble lions, many of official origin, with varied designs comparable to those of the Lugou Bridge), a Qing Dynasty glazed lion (a female lion about two meters tall, lifelike, well-proportioned, and intact, considered a unique piece), over 300 Buddhist statues (mostly white marble, primarily from the Northern Wei, Northern Qi, Eastern Wei, Tang, and Song dynasties), small porcelain figurines (Liao Dynasty Sancai), stone elephants (Ming Dynasty), carved stone “Wumiao” (Ming Dynasty), over 200 paintings and calligraphy works by ancient, modern, and foreign masters (including domestic artists such as Tang Dynasty’s Zhang Xuan and Zhou Fang, Song Dynasty’s Liang Kai, Su Shi, Zhao Ji, Yuan Dynasty’s Chen Lin and Qian Xuan, Ming Dynasty’s Chen Hongshou, Qing Dynasty’s Zhu Da and Ma Yuanyu, and modern artists such as Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, and Xu Beihong; foreign artists include Da Vinci, Picasso, Van Gogh, and Dalí), hundreds of pieces of Ming and Qing furniture (including Ming Dynasty mineral-painted gateways, Ming large rough-plaster gates, chairs, tables, Huanghuali desks, chairs, and mahogany furniture), stone carvings (Ming Dynasty white marble sarcophagus, Song Dynasty white marble statues, etc.), and over 20 tons of natural crystal stones (amethyst, citrine, rose quartz, clear quartz), with an investment of over 2 billion yuan.

The porcelain used in the Porcelain House spans from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. Kilns include the Five Great Kilns as well as Longquan and Yaodistrict kilns, showcasing nearly all types of official and folk kiln porcelain in China. Some pieces are chipped or repaired, resembling “the Venus de Milo of the East.”

Documentary Evidence:

In the 2002 Spring Auction by Sotheby’s Hong Kong, a Yongzheng famille rose bat-and-peach-pattern olive bottle sold for 41.5 million HKD, setting the record highest price for Qing Dynasty porcelain.

In the same year’s Autumn Auction by Christie’s Hong Kong, a Yongzheng enamel-painted poem-plum-bamboo-pattern plate sold for over 32 million HKD.

In a 2002 Beijing auction, a Qianlong famille rose landscape ruyi-ear pipa vase sold for over 11 million RMB, setting the highest price for domestic porcelain.

In the 2005 London Christie’s auction, a Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white jar sold for 15.688 million GBP (approximately 235 million RMB), setting a world record for Chinese art auctions.

In the 2005 New York Christie’s auction, a Longquan celadon piece sold for 3,188,912 RMB.

On October 23, 2005, a Qing Qianlong imperial enamel-painted double-eared vase sold for 115.48 million HKD at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Autumn Auction.

On October 23, 2005, a Qing Qianlong blue-and-white double-eared flat pot sold for 36,336,800 RMB at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.

A Ming Yongle blue-and-white dragon-phoenix-patterned fluted washbasin sold for 26.383759 million HKD at Christie’s Hong Kong.

A Song Dynasty Cizhou kiln carved brown-glazed vase sold for 13.50375 million HKD at Christie’s Hong Kong.

On November 28, 2006, at a Christie’s auction, a Qing Qianlong enamel-painted porcelain bowl sold for 150 million RMB.

Time Needed for Visit

1–2 hours

Transportation

A 15-minute walk from Liaoning Road Snack Street; get off at either the Music Hall or Xiaoyingmen on Machangdao and walk for 10 minutes; or take bus No. 831, 838, 35, 9, or 1 and get off at Shandong Road Station, then walk about 160 meters to reach the destination.

Admission

The ticket price is 50 RMB (children under 1.2 meters, seniors over 80 years old, people with disabilities, and active-duty military officers are admitted free of charge). Students with valid credentials and visitors with a Tianjin household registration can present their ID cards to enjoy a discounted price of 30 RMB.

Opening Hours

9:00-18:00

Location

No. 72, Chifeng Road, Heping District, Tianjin

Address: No. 72, Chifeng Road, Heping District

Tel: 27123366