As a child, Zhang Shangjia developed a real passion for treasure hunts. After arriving in the UK two years ago, the art student from Shenzhen took up mudlarking, which means scouring through the exposed banks of a river. 

The practice originated in the 19th century, when people, often children, would scavenge the mud to find valuables among the rubbish.

"You can find ancient artifacts from people who lived in the past and it's a very magical connection," Zhang explains. "Also, as an artist, I think mudlarking findings can be very interesting materials for your research and creations."

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His favorite playground is the Thames, which, at low tide, becomes London's largest archeological site. Zhang already found various valuable artifacts, including a ruby-encrusted ring. But what particularly caught his attention were fragments of the same type of ceramics that he kept stumbling upon during his search.

The intriguing patterns had an oriental look and were similar to ones he had seen back home.

"The first time I found these fragments, I thought they were from China or other Asian countries," Zhang told CGTN. "But after doing some research, I found out they weren't. They were produced in England. We don't have these kinds of things in China."

The distinctive tableware he found is known as Blue Willow, a pattern inspired by the fascination for Chinese ceramics originally introduced through the tea trade in the 18th century.

The pattern, first invented in 1780 by engraver Thomas Minton and potter Thomas Turner, has become ubiquitous in British kitchens. It was eventually produced in many other countries, including the USA and only reached China in the mid-1980s.

Zhang created an art installation showing how the design has permeated British and Western societies through TV series, children's books and cartoons.

Alongside his mudlarking equipment – comprising a pair of boots, a bucket and a knife – Zhang exhibited a map retracing all the places he has found fragments along the Thames.

"The Blue Willow is a specific item for me. It led me to know more about how these two countries, UK and China, communicate and influence each other."