Porcelain
The invention of porcelain is regarded as the great contribution to the world civilization. “China" as a country and “china” as the synonym of porcelain attest to the truth that the exquisite and marvelous porcelain has become a symbol of China. Let’s learn more about the history of porcelain.
Porcelain is one of China’s great inventions and treasure of the world.
Porcelain evolves from pottery, going through a process from pottery, glazed pottery and to protoporcelain and eventually becomes what it is now.
When did the earliest porcelain emerge and what is protoporcelain?
The earliest porcelain emerged in the Shang Dynasty (about 1600 BC-about 1046BC). Due to the lower temperature and unadvanced technique, the porcelain made at this time was called “protoporcelain”.
After undergoing over 1600 years' improvement in technology, the porcelain stepped into the stage of maturity.
The first porcelain in China was made in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 AD-220 AD), which was called celadon. The Song Dynasty witnessed the heyday of the porcelain.
What is the main raw material of porcelain?
The main raw material of porcelain is porcelain clay and the surface of the ware is vitreous glaze; both of the surface and the whole ware need to be fired at a high temperature.
During Tang and Song Dynasties porcelain was sold abroad, and thus China was called “a nation of porcelain”.
During Song and Yuan Dynasties, due to advanced technique the porcelain industry was thriving and there emerged a city famous for making porcelain-Jingdezhen during Yuan Dynasty.
Jingdezhen is in Jiangxi province today and ceramic raw material mineral resources are abundant there!
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the porcelain industry reached another peak.
In ancient times, porcelain was mainly used as a vessel for holding articles in the folk, while in modern society, it is used especially for decoration.
