Chinese art pieces will be highlighted at the upcoming Asia Week New York, a 10-day event that celebrates Asian art and culture.

Now in its 10th edition, Asia Week New York saw 48 international galleries, six auction houses and 16 cultural institutions, offering open galleries, auction sales, lectures and exhibitions starting from March 13.

The big draw to Asia Week New York is the numerous eye-alluring exhibitions featuring the rarest and finest examples of Asian porcelain, jewelry, textiles, paintings, ceramics, sculpture, bronzes, prints, photographs and jades from every period in Asia.

Chinese works of art are an important part of this year's event as more than a dozen participating galleries will be focusing on ancient and contemporary Chinese art.

The art pieces worth noticing are a blue-and-white porcelain Chinese baluster vase, a pair of porcelain figures, an ink-and-color silk painting, and a glazed stoneware sancai lion pillow, among others.

The 18-inch-tall blue-and-white vase from R.M. Chait Galleries shows military figures conversing on the draped terrace of a palace, with a court lady waiting nearby. It represents the finest quality in form and decoration from the Kangxi period (1654-1722) of the Qing Dynasty.

The pair of porcelain "nodding head" figures of reclining maidens is to be unveiled by Cohen & Cohen. The nine-inch maiden figures each holds a book and each apparently pregnant, a very unusual depiction that illustrates a Chinese metaphor: reading a book nourishes the growth of ideas in the mind like a child developing in the womb. The porcelain pair dates back to the Qianlong period (1736-1795) of the Qing Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) painting highlighted in Alan Kennedy's collection depicts a boy in Mongol dress riding a goat. The boy is surrounded by more than 60 goats and rams.

The sancai, or tri-colored glazed pottery, lion pillow powerfully captures the vitality and ferociousness of a hunting lion devouring its prey. On view at Littleton & Hennessy Asian Art, the pillow dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

To cater to the need of Chinese-speaking buyers and audience, a Chinese version of the event's website is available to offer comprehensive guide.

The event is organized by Asia Week New York Association, a non-profit trade membership organization registered with the state of New York.

(Cover: Chinese porcelains. /VCG Photo)