San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum launched its new exhibition, “Emperors’ Treasures: Chinese Art from the National Palace Museum Taipei,” on Friday, June 17.

The exhibition, which runs through Sept. 18, is part of the museum’s 50th anniversary celebration. It includes approximately 180 artifacts from the Taiwan museum, but none will get more attention than a curious 200-year-old sculpture less than 6 centimeters tall that bears an uncanny resemblance to a piece of braised pork belly.

Dubbed the meat-shaped stone, the priceless sculpture is carved from jasper and set in an ornate gold base. It dates to the Qing Dynasty, and in its years on display in Taiwan has become one of the museum’s biggest draws and has legions of fans, including globe-trotting food writer Anthony Bourdain. The exhibition at the Asian Art Museum is its debut on American soil.

So, what’s so special about this pork-inspired objet d’art? We recently chatted with Asian Art Museum director Jay Xu to find out.

Q: What is the history of this meat-shaped stone?

A: Made in the 19th century, it was in the collection of the imperial household. We don’t know who the artist was — like many wonderful works of art, they were created by anonymous craftsmen in the employment of the imperial workshop. What distinguishes this piece is it’s absolutely realistic. It looks like a real piece of delicious, mouthwatering pork belly.

It has a very romantic and poetic association because there was a famous courtier and poet by the name of Su Dongpo. He invented this particular way of cooking pork belly using soy sauce and other wonderful ingredients, and because he was a literary giant, the dish he invented started to be called dongpo meat. Ever since then this particular way of pork belly cooking has been called dongpo meat.

Q: How did you learn about the stone?

A: I have known this piece for a long time, because I have been in the field of Chinese art for 30 years. I first visited National Palace Museum at least 20 years ago. This piece has become increasingly popular. Every time at the museum, you could see lines — long lines — of people coming to see it. It’s so popular that nobody was allowed to stop. Otherwise not enough people can get through to see it.

Q: What did it take to get the exhibit here to San Francisco?

A: The National Palace Museum arguably has the best examples of the Chinese imperial collection. It took four years for both sides to agree to do this show, and then it took two years to actually put this show together. Those four previous years were wonderful; (they) not only enabled me and my counterpart to get to know each other well, but to talk about many other possibilities of collaboration.

Q: Why do you think the sculpture is so popular?

A: The most essential element for its popularity is its lifelikeness. It’s just so real, and people can really identify with this. They understand that it’s a piece of stone and yet it looks so real, as if you could eat it. We now live in a world (where) high tech can help us to simulate many things. So, many things do not seem to be as special, but imagine the 19th century and you turn an inorganic thing into an organic thing. That is a huge deal, and just imagine the time and attention that the craftsman put into it. Even nowadays when we see contemporary art, let’s say photo-realism when people started painting as if it’s a picture, people still ooh and ahh. Being so real is a big deal, even today.

Q: Besides the meat-shaped stone, the National Palace Museum also has jade sculpture of a bok choy on display, though it’s not part of the current exhibit. How common is it to have examples of food in Chinese art?

A: Not very common. But you can go through the exhibition and notice actually a great many objects all related to food. There’s an ewer for wine, there are teapots, serving dishes. In the show, there’s a small teacup made in the earlier period (15th century). Only a few were commissioned and surviving, yet it is decorated with the most homely picture of a family of chickens — hen and baby chicks and rooster. The porcelain is absolutely the highest grade. The multiple colors were very difficult to make at the time. Last year there was one auctioned off, and it sold for $36 million (U.S.).

Q: How much is the stone worth?

A: For every object we have an insurance value, but unfortunately I cannot tell you for obvious reasons. But I can tell you (the chicken teacup) sold for $36 million, so just imagine. You really can’t put a price to art.

Sarah Fritsche is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sfritsche@sfchronicle.com

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Where to eat pork belly around San Francisco

If you try to take a bite of the priceless pork belly, you’ll probably break a tooth (not to mention get arrested), but you can satisfy your pork belly craving at the following 12 San Francisco restaurants that are partnering with the museum from June 17 to July 17 by creating their own tribute dish. Diners who order the dish get 20 percent off entrance to the exhibit.

Ante Meridian (945 Valencia St.): Crispy pork belly with English pea porridge, ginger oil, pea shoots and furikake.

Black Sands Brewery (701 Haight St.): Pork belly ssam with shiso wrap, kimchi and scallions.

Cafe Asia (200 Larkin St., in the Asian Art Museum): Classic slow-braised pork belly (dongpo rou) with wine, soy sauce, rock sugar and ginger.

Dirty Habit (12 Fourth St.): Confit and fried pork belly, with stone fruit caponata and Fresno chile.

Mission Chinese Food (2234 Mission St.): Tiki pork belly with soy caramel, mandarin orange, pickled pineapple, shaved coconut and macadamia nuts.

Mister Jiu’s (28 Waverly Pl.): Char siu pork belly with hot mustard, barbecue beet sauce and pickles.

Namu Gaji (499 Dolores St.): Thinly sliced soy-cured smoked pork belly layered with blanched napa cabbage on a bed of golden noodles.

Pabu (101 California St.): Pork belly robata with lemon and sansho pepper.

Stones Throw (1896 Hyde St.): Warm pork belly “banh mi-style” with pate, five-spice aioli, spicy cucumbers and crispy sourdough.

The Chairman (670 Larkin St.): Pork belly bao with red miso glaze, turmeric pickled daikon, green shiso.

The Ramen Bar (101 California St.): Pork belly kushikatsu.

The Slanted Door (1 Ferry Building): Prather Ranch caramelized pork belly with young coconut water, braised chiles and ginger.