In China’s southwest province of Guangxi, the Zhuang nationality comprises the largest ethnic minority with about 14 million people. I was fortunate to meet types of people from this ancient tribe – men and women and little babies – while touring the region. Wherever I found examples of Zhuang collectibles, the one that struck me as particularly unusual was the embroidered ball.

A Zhuang woman, who was also on the tour, explained the history of the craft. The balls are made of colored silk cloth whose pattern indicates the connection of twelve petals or months. Each petal (month) has a mascot. A mascot could be a plum blossom, bamboo, swallows, dragon, chrysanthemum, orchid or phoenix. All these symbols represent reunion and eternal happiness. The petals typically are red, yellow and green.

Originally a love gift, a Zhuang woman would climb a mountain and sing out to her fiance who she hadn’t yet met face-to-face. He would answer with song. If she liked the sound of his song, she would present him with an embroidered ball as a sign of affection–the bigger the ball the greater the love. She whispered in my ear an old Zhuang saying that is passed on from mother to daughter. “If you don’t embroider, you won’t find a good man.” That is why every Zhuang girl learns to embroider from an early age.

You can see the difference between hand-woven and machine-made balls by the tightness of the weave. If it’s done by hand, the weave is flatter and looser. There are three layers to the balls, all sewn. Even so, it is sometimes tricky to see the difference if you are purchasing one at a night market with glaring neon. The Chinese name for the old technique is called Diuxiu Xiuqiu. As the years pass and China modernizes, it is becoming harder to find the hand-woven balls.

A true “King of Embroidery Ball” named Zhu Zhu Xian is held in high esteem because he apparently made the largest-ever embroidery ball at 2 meters long. He’s now in his fifties and still follows the old way of hand-making the balls.

Modern and vintage examples of these “love balls” are on display at the Guangxi Provincial Museum in Nanning.

If you’d like to purchase the authentic Zhuang Embroidered Ball, please contact ShunZhou Embroidered Ball Company, Miss Sarah Lee. email: xiuqiu [at] live [dot] cn. Her telephone is: +86 – 138776 54107 or +86 – 137188 72913. She speaks very good English and will answer all your questions. If you’re wondering about her name well, like many Chinese who choose an English name, she acquired it after eating a sweet cake made by same company.

Hi, I’m Elise and I now live in Amsterdam. When I was in my twenties I lived in Japan for seven years. I wasn’t a geisha or anything like that. I led a rock and roll life as a music journalist and impresario. When all the glitter fell off my face and I decided to come down to Earth, I discovered that collecting Japanese treasures such as Arita pottery was more satisfying than, well, interviewing David Bowie.

Arita porcelain is an elaborate form of Japanese pottery dating back to the 1600s. I have four pieces in my collection, but this is one of my favorite pieces. No, it’s not four hundred years old. This one is an authorized reproduction from the Sixties.

It is shaped like a vase, but it is nearly as large as a flower pot. It has the crane as a good luck symbol and gold flourishes in squiggly lines on top. Gorgeous cobalt blue accents fill the bodies of the elegant birds. I came to this piece through the parents of a very dear boyfriend of long ago. Yujiro’s parents are pottery collectors who had shelves of Arita. The sentimental value of this piece brings tears to my eyes.

Arita porcelain is named after a town on the Japanese island of Kyushu. It is also known as Imari ware because that’s the nearby port from where it was shipped to Europe. The Japanese porcelain industry started there after Japan invaded Korea and brought back Korean artisans. One of the artisans, Yi Sam-p’young, discovered a source of special white kaolin clay near Arita in 1616. Today he is enshrined in Japan as the “father” of Arita pottery.

Arita ware contains blue and white glazes similar to Chinese Ming Dynasty porcelain. Arita designs flourish with cranes and other migratory birds and carp (the lucky fish), plus many scenes of daily life. Classic blue-and-white Arita ware was discovered by agents for the Dutch East India Company. Other styles soon emerged with elaborate and densely pattered designs, brilliant colors and gold trim. These were reserved for the Samurai class and export to Europe.

The popularity of imported Arita ware inspired artisans in Holland to expand their own industry, including the famous Delft blue-and-white pottery that often imitated of Chinese and Japanese designs.

I also collect Bizen (yaki) pottery, but I consider Arita ware to be very special because of my personal connection to a Japanese family that taught me about it. What’s ironic is that I now live in the land of Delft blue. When I visit museums I can see first-hand how the Dutch were influenced by the Japanese and compare these two artistic styles through the ages. If you’re thinking that pottery brought me to Europe, it’s not that simple. Yet life is funny in the way you come full