Korean Porcelain Vase

In 1872, thirty-year-old John Ross was sent by the Scottish United Presbyterian Mission to northeast China, where he founded the Dongguan Church in Shenyang and became acquainted with traders from Korea.   

John Ross is a very important figure to modern-day Christians in South Korea, and the John Ross Centre, a key part of the history of the Seaboard villages, was funded by a South Korean Christian group. 

This very rare chinaware (porcelain) vase was made to commemorate the founding of the Chinese empire in 1916 by the Yuan Dynasty. It was donated by Elder Ahn Kee-Seok (a member of the group of South Koreans dedicated to preserving the history of John Ross) as a symbol of Korean culture and tradition.    

The chrysanthemum decorations show an important Chinese and Korean native flower and often appears on pottery.