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Vivian W. Pang, Victoria and Albert Museum–Royal College of Art, United KingdomAbstract
This essay research focuses on the spoon, Canton enameled porcelain (Guangcai) collected in the V&A Museum. It was identified as part of the continuing history of Chinese export porcelain, but also a rare example in Britain as this spoon was exported mainly to America historically and in particular since the US embargo during the Cold War. The underside marks, including “Y.T. Decorated in Hong Kong, Made in Japan”, provides a material entry point into these geopolitical pressures, revealing how questions of origin, manufacture, and value were negotiated through labelling practices. Guangcai continued to be relevant in the twentieth century despite not holding as much consumption as they did in the eighteenth century. It stands as a highly idealised object whilst connoting the chinoiserie in eighteenth-century England to twentieth-century America. Canton enamel porcelain remains a tool for connecting the past, evoking nostalgia for the good times through its collection. It served as a respite in the ever-changing world of American expansion, with its unchanging patterns symbolizing a world untouched by Western influence. Hong Kong as a colony of the British during the Cold War, took over the role of canton factory, let Guangcai export continue and provide commodities and fulfil American collectors' emotional anchors in the twentieth century. This paper adopts a material culture approach, analysing Guangcai as an object embedded within geopolitical and cultural systems rather than as a passive commodity.
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Conference: ECAH2026Stream: Humanities - Aesthetics, Design
Published: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
This paper is part of the ECAH2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Pang V. (2026) Between Embargo and Export: Canton Enamelled Porcelain (Guangcai) and Hong Kong–US Relations in the Cold War ISSN: 2188-1111 – The European Conference on Arts & Humanities 2026: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 471-482) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-1111.2026.36
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-1111.2026.36
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