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The first exhibition, ‘Vessel’, highlights a particular form in Chinese jade culture―the vessel. Its popularity from the Song dynasty (960–1279) to the Qianlong reign (1736–95) of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911) can be seen in the wide variety of shapes available and in the variety of stones utilized. The Song dynasty saw an extended period of economic development and high artistic achievement. The literati way of life and its accompanying aesthetics flourished, percolating through to all forms of the arts from paintings and calligraphy to ceramics and jades. One example that epitomises the …