Rutao, a kind of pottery produced in Ruzhou, Henan province, originated in the Neolithic Age and is considered as a treasure of the city.

The most famous example of Ru pottery is a big jar printed with pictures of a white stork holding a fish in its mouth and a stone axe on the right.

In 2003, the State Council announced this 6,000--year old earthen jar the most valuable of 67 immoveable items of cultural heritage, and cannot be exhibited outside the country.

After long--term cultural accumulations, Ru pottery reached its most prosperous period in the Tang (AD 618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, and then moved into the Ru porelain developing period.

Ru porcelain, a kind of famous porcelain in China, is the natural outcome of pottery’s development, which maintains the city’s important position in the history of Chinese ceramics. The porcelain produced for royal use only once disappeared in more than 800 years due to war, while the pottery is constantly renewed and developed.

Nowadays, both Ruzhou's pottery and porcelain are entering a new era. Combined with modern aesthetic interests, products are sold around the world and many have been patented.