The Tan family collection is focused on a selection of significant ceramic masterpieces that demonstrate the evolution of technology and art in China. These masterpieces were previously housed in well-known private institutions such as Meiyintang, Xiaoyazhitang, Alfred Clark, Frank Caro, John Bodie and others. Many of these pieces were featured in prominent public exhibitions and extensively documented in dedicated catalogues. The book showcases eighty ceramic masterpieces from the Tan collection, accompanied by articles and detailed descriptions. These provide insight into the characteristics of Chinese ceramic art and offer accurate records of their provenance. The aim of the book is to shed new light on cross-media cultural history and emphasise the global significance of Chinese ceramic art, a cultural heritage that has captivated the world. It is a testament to the rich and diverse cultural heritage of China, something that all can take pride in and appreciate.

Dr Joshua Gong is a leading expert on contemporary Chinese art and chinoiserie. He taught at the University of Sussex from 2010 to 2018 and has lectured at Shanghai Normal University. He was a recipient of the Young Scholar Grant, Tate Modern, 2015. His first monograph was nominated for the best art publication by the Award of Art China. Recently he has published three monographs: Hsiao Chin and Punto: Mapping Post-War Avant-Garde (Unicorn), Challenging Leonardo da Vinci, An Alternative Art History (CITIC Press Group) and Chinese Art Today: From 20th-Century Tradition to Contemporary Practice (Unicorn).|

Dr Joshua Gong is a leading expert on contemporary Chinese art and chinoiserie. He taught at the University of Sussex from 2010 to 2018, then lectured at Shanghai Normal University. He was a recipient of the Young Scholar Grant, Tate Modern, 2015. His first monograph was nominated for the best art publication by the Award of Art China.

He has been working and publishing with and for various leading publishers and institutions, including in China: the Ministry of Culture, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Yinchuan, the Palace Museum, The Commercial Press, and the Chinese National Art Publishing House; and in the UK: Unicorn Publishing Group, the Art Newspaper and Oxford University Press. His book Iconography and Schemata: A Communicating History in Painting between China and the West, 1514-1885 is a landmark in the field. Recently he published three monographs Hsiao Chin and Punto: Mapping Post-War Avant-Garde (London: Unicorn), Challenging Leonardo da Vinci, An Alternative Art History (Beijing: CITIC Press Group) and Chinese Art Today: From 20th-Century Tradition to Contemporary Practice (London: Unicorn).