Travel in China
A French villa obsessively clad in 700 million antique porcelain shards - dragons, phoenixes and some 300 stone lions.
The Porcelain House (Cifangzi) is a 1920s French-style villa that its owner, porcelain collector Zhang Lianzhi, spent five years cladding entirely in antique porcelain shards. More than 700 million pieces of Ming and Qing ceramics - broken vases, plates, bowls and figurines - cover every wall, roof and railing.
The exterior is a dense mosaic of ceramic dragons, phoenixes and the characters for good fortune. The interior continues the theme with chandeliers made of porcelain shards, furniture covered in ceramic fragments, and entire walls of antique plates arranged in patterns.
The house is Tianjin's strangest and most photogenic single building - a genuine piece of outsider art created from China's ceramic heritage. Whether you find it beautiful or obsessive, it is unforgettable.
Highlights
The Ceramic Facade
700 million antique porcelain shards covering every surface.
The Dragons and Phoenixes
Ceramic creatures pieced from broken Ming and Qing vases.
The 3,000 Lions
Chinese guardian lions made from porcelain fragments.
The Interior Rooms
Chandeliers, furniture and walls all covered in ceramics.
The Rooftop Garden
The roof covered in porcelain plants and animals.
The Obsessive Vision
One collector's five-year project - outsider art on an architectural scale.
Photo Gallery
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