"It has been difficult for ordinary people to gain access (to the imperial kiln), except to see the bricks used at the Forbidden City as building materials, and a small number of private collections and furnishings," says Shen, the Suzhou museum official.

He says ordinary people should feel a connection with the culture.

In recent years, the museum has recruited young people to form a creative development team with the aim of inheriting and innovating upon brick pottery crafts and culture.

For example, brick boards are made into tea tables and desktops that help to highlight the practical value of the imperial bricks in a modern social context.

The museum plans to cooperate with some universities to jointly cultivate talent for the inheritance of brickmaking techniques, and at the same time, "to develop more derivatives" that meet the needs of ordinary people.