The Qinghai Provincial Museum's collection of Majiayao culture pottery is the best in existence. Majiayao and its related cultures (Banshan, Machang) flourished along the upper Yellow River in what is now Qinghai and Gansu for over a thousand years, and they left behind an extraordinary artistic legacy: painted pottery vessels of every size decorated with flowing geometric patterns, spirals, fish, frog-like figures, and — most famously — the dancing figures on the urn that has become the museum's emblem.
The pottery on display spans the full period of the tradition, showing how the designs evolved from simple geometric patterns in the earliest phase to the complex, flowing compositions of the later Banshan period. The craftsmanship is remarkable by any standard — the vessels are thin-walled, perfectly fired, and painted with a precision and freedom that is difficult to achieve even with modern tools.