Ever since Chinese white porcelain emerged in Asia and Africa during the Tang dynasty, porcelain from China was immediately trendy for its innovative melting and casting techniques, artistic appearance and utility, becoming an iconic symbol of China. The export of porcelain ushers in its heyday during the Ming and Qing dynasties, creating another signature "made in China" product besides tea and silk. In the meantime, it evolved into a significant bridge for the exchange and fusion between Chinese and Western civilizations in ancient times. From the mid-17th century to the mid-18th century, Imari took the most proportion of exported porcelains with significant artistic value and rich connotations in historic and cultural senses. This category was, on the one hand, a result of technological exchange along the ancient Maritime Silk Road, and on the other hand, a trace of cultural fusion.

Entitled "Flourishing through Competition — Exhibition of Chinese and Japanese Imari Porcelains in Qing Dynasty", this exhibition includes 168 pieces/sets of Chinese and Japanese Imari porcelain from Dongguan Exhibition Hall, comparing their respective processing techniques, styles and development paths. Displaying the elegance of these exhibits, it illustrates how the style of exported Imari porcelains swung between Chinese and Japanese influences in the trade history, and how these graceful wares flourished through competition in collision and exchange of techniques and culture in the century-long innovation.