A porcelain exhibition has opened at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in Shenyang. From tableware to decorative figurines, some 200 porcelain works from Europe are on display. All of the exhibits, which are provided by the Shanghai History Museum, present a brief history of the development of European porcelain.

During the 17th century, Chinese porcelain first entered European royal courts as luxury items. But as the quantity increased, it became common to most well-off families. And in the 18th century, European countries such as the Netherlands, the UK and Germany started to make their own porcelain.

"Europeans started making porcelain by copying that from China. But as they knew very little about China and Chinese culture at the time, they made some interesting mistakes," said Zhang Lan, curator at Shanghai History Museum.

"Take this plate for example. The pattern includes the image of an onion. But actually it should be a pomegranate, which looks similar to an onion."

Besides the imitations, the exhibition also features some mature and exquisite porcelain works made in the 19th century by the most prestigious brands in Europe, including Meissen in Germany and Svres in France.