On Saturday, December 13, 2025, students accompanied by two teachers went to the Wereldmuseum for the new exhibition "Made in China." Our tour guide, Irene, wasn't the easiest group to manage: if we found something interesting, we'd easily wander off.

And it certainly was interesting. The exhibition takes you from how the oldest crafts and materials are often found in China, to current artists and craftspeople. We were explained how the richness of materials in the Chinese soil led to all sorts of unique features, such as the special clay that made incredibly thin porcelain, and the cobalt that made the bright blue dye. Highlights for me were the Devil's Balls: 17 ivory balls crafted with the finest possible finish, interlocked, and the blue-gold robe once made for a Dutch ambassador, decorated with three dragons and a wealth of clouds and lightning.

Irene showed us how exchanges with other countries led to the adaptation of merchandise to local tastes and preferences. The downsides of all that manufacturing were also briefly highlighted: the mining of raw materials and the pollution, for example, from making Christmas ornaments. An hour and a half was actually too short to fully experience everything, but our reservation in Hoi Tin on Zeedijk forced us to leave.

A group of seven of us went out for dim sum lunch. Our instructors gave us tips on what to choose and brought out a rotating table full of delicious treats. Water chestnut cake, chicken feet, and even the 老子 and 包子 we'd known from the class were all in high demand. During dinner, we made a valiant attempt to speak a little Chinese with each other. Besides constantly saying that the food was 很好吃 (真好吃，太好吃了！) and whether you would like more tea (要, double knock on the table as a thank you), we discussed whether you have brothers and sisters, who you live with, what are you going to do next? When 两点四十分 came, it was time to say goodbye or visit the temple.

Author: Tessa van Mechelen