Chinese Nine-Dragon Altar | Ceramic Work at Hengshun Vinegar Culture Museum

Chinese Nine-Dragon Altar was created for the Hengshun Vinegar Culture Museum in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. Recognized by China Records as the largest vinegar jar, it is also a monumental public ceramic sculpture. The work measures 5.32 meters high, with a maximum diameter of 2.22 meters, a mouth diameter of 1.15 meters, a base diameter of 1.38 meters, and a weight of approximately 6 tons. Its body carries nine distinct Chinese dragons in relief and was high-temperature fired from kaolin clay over an 18-month making process. The technical difficulty lay not only in forming, drying, and firing such a large ceramic body, but also in integrating the complex dragon reliefs with the vessel's structure. Completed in December 2011, the work was ceremonially filled with vinegar and collected by the museum; in January 2012 it received a China Records certificate. The piece expands a traditional vinegar jar into a public landmark, bringing local craft, dragon imagery, and museum narrative into civic memory.