Prince Kung's Palace launches Linqing brick exhibition

A new exhibition opened in the Jiale Hall of Prince Kung's Palace Museum in Beijing last week.

The "Tile Masonry Craftsmanship in the Construction of Traditional Chinese Official-style Architecture – Linqing Tribute Brick Manufacturing Techniques" exhibit opened in the palace last Tuesday and will run until Aug 11. 

The Linqing brick is a high-quality architectural material that originated in Linqing in East China's Shandong province. The exhibition displays Linqing tribute bricks from the collection of Prince Kung's Palace Museum, showcasing the brick production and tile masonry techniques in traditional Chinese official-style architecture. 

The exhibit ingeniously connects the historical relationship between Linqing tribute bricks and those used in the construction of Prince Kung's Palace through a "dialogue" between the Grand Canal and Beijing's Central Axis. 

The Linqing tribute brick manufacturing techniques are comprehensively displayed, alongside the tile masonry craftsmanship, one of the eight categories of construction techniques for traditional Chinese official-style architecture (a Beijing intangible cultural heritage item represented by Prince Kung's Palace).

Linqing tribute bricks were imperial materials used in royal buildings and the construction of Beijing city during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). Prince Kung's Palace Museum houses 54 inscribed bricks, with those marked Wangfu Zuzhi ("Tailored for princely residences") having been made specifically for Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) princely residences.

The exhibition is divided into three sections. "Winning Fame through the Grand Canal" depicts the historical journey of tribute bricks from Shandong's Linqing to Beijing’s Shichahai at the end of the Grand Canal. "Use at Prince Kung's Palace" presents the Linqing elements in the bricks used in Prince Kung's Palace. "Crafting from Clay" showcases the complete production process and related rituals of Linqing tribute bricks, from paste to end product, through an illustration and scene reproduction of the four main processes (soil, clay, molding and firing) and the 16 steps.

Ten inscribed Linqing tribute bricks unearthed from the palace grounds and some whole frame rubbings of palace roof ridge beasts are included in the exhibition.

Throughout the exhibition's run, there will be live Linqing drum and Linqing dragon lantern performances, while inheritors of Linqing tribute brick production techniques will demonstrate some of the processes to visitors.

At the launch of the exhibition last Tuesday, an academic seminar on Linqing tribute bricks was held, gathering various scholars and professionals in the field for a discussion on research, protection and application of Linqing tribute bricks and other ancient building materials.

The exhibition has been made possible by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Minzu University of China, and is co-organized by the Liaocheng Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the People's Government of Linqing City.