About Song Qing Ju
Song Qing Ju 宋青居, “The House of Song Ceramics,” is a space dedicated to the refined art of Chinese ceramics, with a special focus on the Song dynasty. The name itself carries meaning: 宋(Song) for the dynasty, 青(Qing) for the sky-blue glazes so characteristic of this period, and 居(Ju), suggesting home, a dwelling, a place where one is invited to share.
My passion for Asia began early, leading me to travel extensively across Southeast Asia before discovering China. Art and beauty, in all their forms, have always been central to my life. While I never practiced pottery myself, I have long expressed my sensitivity through drawing and photography. It was almost by chance that I fell in love with Song ceramics, captivated by their simplicity, depth, and quiet elegance.
This passion grew through encounters, exchanges with connoisseurs, and long hours spent in antique shops, learning to observe, to question, and to distinguish the authentic from the imitation. Step by step, my knowledge expanded, and so did my sense of wonder. This website was born from that passion, a journey between aesthetics and knowledge.
Song Qing Ju is intended as an open house, a place of sharing and transmission: here you will find the history and beauty of Song ceramics, along with personal reflections, discoveries, and the timeless fascination of an art that continues to resonate across the centuries. The doors are open—welcome.
The MeiPing Vase (Plum Vase): History and Significance
My logo takes its form from the Meiping, or “plum vase” (Chinese: méipíng), one of the most iconic shapes in Chinese ceramics. With its small mouth, narrow neck, rounded shoulders, and gracefully curved body, the Meiping was said to echo the elegance of the human form.
First created in the Tang dynasty (618–907) as a wine vessel, it found its true symbolism during the Song dynasty (960–1279), when it was used to display a single blossoming plum branch. This simple yet profound gesture gave the vase its name and enduring meaning — resilience, purity, and renewal. In the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the Meiping flourished in fine white porcelain decorated with delicate blue underglaze, representing both technical mastery and timeless artistry.
Over the centuries, variations emerged — some with lids now long lost, others adapted into new forms such as the “truncated meiping,” or reinterpreted in Korean ceramics as the Maebyeong. Yet at its core, the vase has always symbolized the harmony of nature and human craftsmanship.
The soft tianqing blue of my logo echoes the legendary Ru-ware glazes of the Song dynasty, cherished for their serene, celestial radiance. By embracing the Meiping, we honor its centuries-old legacy of elegance and balance — qualities that continue to inspire our vision today.