Zhou Enlai was premier from the founding of the Chinese People's Republic in 1949 until his death in 1976. Although of photographic accuracy and reproducing the tonalities of a photograph, this portrait was actually painstakingly painted in enamels by the artist, Wu Kang.

The inscription reads: 'Jingdezhen Art Porcelain Factory, an attempt at portrait painting in the fencai style by Wu Kang', with the seal of Wu Kang reproduced at the bottom right. It is very rare for a Jingdezhen porcelain to be signed by the maker, the signature here being permissible because Wu Kang was considered an artist rather than a craftsman; he worked in the 'art porcelain factory' and featured in the Register of Famous Porcelain Artists at Jingdezhen, published about 1989. To be able to substitute the manual technique of painting for the mechanical process of photography is considered an 'art', and Wu Kang was praised for his ability to paint portraits that are very lifelike while at the same time bringing out the inner personality of the sitter. Implicit in such praise is an understanding that a photograph can depict only the appearance, not the spirit of a person. The 'fencai style' (literally 'powdered colours') mentioned in the inscription refers to a palette incorporating pink enamel, in this case only used the subtly on the face of the sitter. Black is the predominant colour, which is in keeping with the austere style of life at that time.