Feats of clay

A set of porcelain dinnerware designed by Yang Mingjie, which focuses on the subject of marriage and love. [Photo provided to China Daily]

To satisfy a gourmet, not only the food itself but also serving dishes must offer some visual enjoyment. Industrial designer Yang Mingjie delivers with his latest designs in a series of porcelain dinnerware at his private design museum in Shanghai. His goal: combine his understanding of Chinese philosophy with these daily items on people's dinner tables.

The series consists of four sets focusing on various subjects, such as marriage, a father's love and a lucky year. The subject shows itself when diners put liquid into different plates which have uneven patterns inside. Liquid flowing into the plates produces a vision: a blooming peony, a moon that changes its shape or mountains under the brushes of a ink painter.

The set of dinnerware with a pattern of moutains to show the weight of a father's love for his children. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Having food is more than filling one's belly. For hundreds of years, Chinese have been in pursuit of spiritual enjoyment by presenting fine food with delicate dinnerware," says Yang.

Yang holds a show this month to explore the changes of tableware in Chinese history at the Yang Design Museum in Shanghai, a private museum he founded in 2013 to house his collection of various industrial designs from around the world. The show, together with the sets of dinnerware, is a cooperation with Hennessy's project Hennessy and Meals: the Rediscovery of the Taste of Chinese Cuisine.