The fridge magnet displayed in the Hangzhou Museum. [Photo/Hangzhou Museum]

A new cultural and creative fridge magnet from the Hangzhou Museum has recently become a sensation.

The design of the fridge magnet is inspired by one of the Hangzhou Museum's most notable artifacts – a Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) bluish-white glaze and red underglaze tall cup. Unearthed in 1978 from a porcelain cache at Hangzhou's commercial storage and transport company warehouse, the goblet showcases a beautiful blend of bluish-white glaze and red overglaze techniques.

Bluish-white glaze, containing a small amount of iron, produces a color between blue and white under high-temperature reduction. The goblet's high-foot base exhibits a prominent greenish hue, while the rest is a pale blue-white. The red overglaze, using copper as a coloring agent, involves painting under a clear glaze and firing at high temperatures, a challenging process with a low success rate during its early production stages.

In the Yuan Dynasty, Jingdezhen had already become a major porcelain hub, producing imperial ware. The high-foot goblet, typical of the drinking vessels used by the nomadic people of the Yuan era, features a wide mouth and a tall base that could be tied to a horse, earning it the nickname "horseback cup."

The fridge magnets. [Photo/Hangzhou Museum]