1. About

Golden Porcelain, composed by Mexican composer Cristóbal MarYán, is a symphonic present from Mexico to China to commemorate 51 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The piece gets its name from the intrinsic relationship between Chinese porcelain and Talavera (a world-renowned hand painted ceramic from the state of Puebla, Mexico). According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “a vast quantity of Chinese export porcelain carried by galleons from Manila remained in New Spain [Mexico] and served as models for the potters in Puebla”. The structure of the piece represents a grosso modo the creation process of porcelain, which is very similar to that of Talavera, and alludes to that historical connection between China and Mexico. Thus, the piece has 4 sections: water and China stone; clay stamping; shaping of pottery and fire in the oven; and an invigorating finale that represents the completion of creation.

2. Production team

Music and art direction: Cristóbal MarYán
Cristóbal MarYán works have been played by Yo-Yo Ma, Johnny Gandelsman, The Orchestra of the Americas, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Jeffrey Zeigler and the String Orchestra of New York City among others. He was resident composer at The Orchestra of the Americas from 2019 - 2020 and is currently composer in residence at OAcademy, in addition to being First Secretary at the Mexican Embassy in China. His work draws inspiration from Mexican folk music and contemporary classical music. In addition to the music, MarYán regularly imagines visuals that accompany his pieces and directs visual artists to create compositions that interact with the music he writes.

Orchestra: OAcademy Orchestra

OAcademy music director: Carlos Miguel Prieto
Carlos Miguel Prieto was born into a musical family of Spanish and French descent in Mexico City. His charismatic conducting is characterised by its dynamism and the expressivity of his interpretations. Prieto is recognised as a highly influential cultural leader and is the foremost Mexican conductor of his generation.

He was the Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, the country’s most important orchestra, from 2007 to 2022. Prieto has also been Music Director of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra since 2006, where he has led the cultural renewal of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. In 2008 he was appointed Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería, a hand-picked orchestra which performs a two-month long series of summer programmes in Mexico City. In 2022, Prieto was announced as Music Director Designate of North Carolina Symphony from 2022/23, and will begin his tenure in 2023/24.

Visuals and animation: David Roubaud
David Roubaud is a Mexican American concept artist drawn strongly to vehicle concept design and environment concept art. His background in art making is in traditional media, and has a degree in Art Practices from the University of Colorado Boulder. He has also worked as a freelance graphic designer as part of interdisciplinary teams. He has a drive for experimenting with new tools to create imaginary worlds and create compelling storytelling.



1. Manila Galleons
The Manila Galleons represent the trade route between China and Mexico during the Spanish colonial era (1500-1800), when Mexico was known as New Spain. Various goods from Asia, which would otherwise be inaccessible at the time, arrived aboard those Spanish galleons to Mexico. This included Chinese porcelain, which arrived in Mexico and inspired the now-famous “Talavera Poblana”.

2. Ming Dynasty Treasure Ship
A ship that tells of the prowess of the Chinese Ming Dynasty in exploring parts of East and Southeast Asia. There were seven expeditions led by Zheng He (1405-1433) that were the catalyst for trade with other parts of Asia, as well as the introduction of calligraphy and porcelain techniques to China.

3. Commercial cargo ship
This freighter talks about modern trade relations between Mexico and China, specifically through the Pacific Ocean. It contrasts with the older variants of ships on this side of the mural, which have fostered trade routes in different directions over the centuries.

4. Dengfeng Observatory

5. Popocatépetl Volcano
The Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico is a very iconic image and can be seen from various locations in Mexico including Mexico City. The meaning of the word "Popocatépetl" is the mountain that emits smoke. It is placed at the very bottom of the mural to add depth to the composition.

6. Taishan Mountain
The most famous sacred mountain in China, next to the Popocatépetl volcano as a symbol of strength and friendship.

7. College of Mexico (COLMEX)
In 1972, a group of 25 Chinese students traveled to Mexico to study at the Colegio de México (COLMEX). This program was a pioneering effort in terms of educational exchange since several of the Chinese students would later become diplomats and specialists in Latin America with a certain vision of the region. Many are alive and active in Beijing today.

8. Shared Industries
The upper right part of the mural uses the painting style of the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera in the way that he generally represented in his murals the emerging industries at that time, it represents the shared industries between China and Mexico.

9. Musicians
A reference since the mural is a painting that accompanies a piece of music.

9.5. Chinese musicians and instruments
Chinese instruments stand shoulder to shoulder in the orchestra as a sign of friendship.

10. Mexican Ceramics - Talavera from Puebla, Mexico
The right side of the mural is comprised of larger-than-life scale Mexican “Talavera” pottery, with patterns commonly seen on these ceramic pieces produced in Puebla, Mexico. These patterns are inspired by Chinese porcelain that came to Mexico through trade.

11. Chinese Ceramic - Porcelain
The left side of the mural has Chinese patterns typically seen on traditional pottery and porcelain, even from ancient times such as the Ming Dynasty. The interesting parallel to both the Mexican style of pottery and traditional Chinese styles is the color blue which is almost exactly the same.

12. Mexican Muralists and Artists - From left to right David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, and Frida Kahlo
Both David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera were well-known men who started the Mexican muralist movement, among other artists of the 20th century. Even more interesting, both artists visited China during the 20th century! The lady with her back to the viewer is the artist Frida Kahlo, wife of Diego Rivera. She was a painter, so she is shown doing a painting of her husband with the easel and the canvas by hand. She wears a traditional Mexican dress, the kind she normally preferred to wear.

13. Terracotta Warriors and left Cocijo, Zapotec rain deity
A communion of ancient pieces of art from Mexico and China, with the Terracotta Warriors, which have been under excavation for a continuous period of time. The Zapotec god of rain, Cocijo, is said to have created most of the physical world, according to the pantheon of Zapotec culture. Even life seems to have been created by this god according to ancient Zapotec belief.

14. Ying Ying and Pe Pe, the Pandas that China gave to Mexico
In 1975, China gave Mexico Ying Ying and Pe Pe, a symbol of a unique friendship between the two countries.

15. The mythological figure of Quetzalcoatl
The mythological figure of Quetzalcóatl, a symbol of Mexicanness, is presenting the gold porcelain piece in the form of respect.

16. A piece of “Porcelain Gold”
It alludes to the piece of music that accompanies the mural. It is a symbol of the end of the first 50 years of relationships, and the beginning of the next 50.

17. A river containing "China stone"
China stone is the raw material of porcelain.