Su's experimental works are shown alongside a figure of Luohan (a senior disciple of Buddhism) made by his great-grandfather Su Xuejin, founder of a prominent Dehua ceramics studio.

The idea of the arrangement is kindled by a coincidence.

"When I visited Su's studio, I presented him a picture of the figure of Luohan from the museum's collection, and he recognized it as his great-grandfather's work. I examined the object and found Su Xuejin's seal on the back of the figure, which confirmed his theory," Li says.

Su's work inherits his family tradition of making Buddhist figurines, while experimenting with new elements and avant-garde styles.

"Through these juxtapositions, visitors will get to understand how porcelain traditions are being inherited, and how creators respond to those traditions," says Li.

The artworks of the contemporary artists interpret the porcelain traditions from their diverse backgrounds and contemporary artistic languages.

Peter Ting, a Chinese-British designer, integrates Blanc de Chine elements, such as gestures and adornments of the Guanyin and porcelain flowers, into modern interpretations of tea sets, vases and "flower bowl" cylinders.

Chinese artist Liang Wanying uses figures from the ancient literary opus The Classic of Mountains and Seas to build a poetic space of whiteness.

Dutch artist Babs Haenen applies a unique technique to the white porcelain, and presents a colored sculpture mimicking a historical piece from the museum's collection.

The works of American artist Jeffry Mitchell and South African-born British artist Lucille Lewin are the result of a two-week artist residency in Dehua, as they explore the materiality of porcelain clay and combine their own artistic tastes.

The former head of the museum's Asian department, John Ayers, describes Dehua artisans as "making not only the sublime, but also the ridiculous", and the display is indeed a footnote to the diversity of styles and artistry of "blanc de Chine".

Liu Ziyin contributed to this story.